Kingdom Hearts Revisited
by Newin
Summary: Formerly Princess of Darkness. Kingdom Hearts with a twist. Before Destiny Island was destroyed, a strange girl washed up on the beach. Could she be linked to the Heartless? Find out...rated for language, violence, and suggestive themes.
1. Destati

Hello all! I decided to rewrite this story because the plot holes and style bugged me. I hope you don't mind reading it again! There are changes to the story and characters, which will hopefully make it all the more interesting!

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_Sora found himself in a world he didn't know. He stood on a platform, staring out into a black void. A voice kept sounding in his head, telling him strange things he had never heard of. The voice presented him with tasks that he completed rather quickly. He was then met with another challenge. He came face to face with small, twitchy beings the voice called Heartless. He was told he'd have to fight these beings. But how, he thought. Like magic, Sora gained a sword the voice called the Keyblade. This was his weapon. He quickly did away with the wriggling Heartless and moved on to his next task. The voice now presented him with another Heartless, though this one was one hundred times bigger than the wriggling Heartless he fought. He stared up in amazement at the monster before him. At his feet, he could have sworn he saw the outline of a girl with golden eyes. And then the monster attacked…_

The noon sun beat down on peaceful Destiny Island, casting small shadows across the white sand. Sora was lying near the crystal clear water, his shoes and shirt laying a few feet away from him. The sun danced across his body, warming him inside and out. The soft breeze played through his gravity defying spiky brown hair, keeping him cool. His sky blue eyes were closed in a light afternoon nap.

The sound of something washing up on the beach woke Sora from his strange dream, causing him to reluctantly open his eyes to investigate. He looked down the beach and saw a girl lying on her side, her body still half in the water and her hair going in every which direction. Sora bolted upright, shocked.

"What the…?" He stood up and quickly walked over to the girl, hoping she was still alive. He knelt down beside her and rolled her over, moving her hair from her face and neck. She had very fair skin, almost as if she'd never seen the light of day in her life. Her hair was a strange shade of purple, almost resembling the midnight sky on a moonless night. Around her neck was a golden chain, and attached to that chain was a pendant. Sora gasped when he recognized this as the symbol from his dream. How strange that this girl would have a pendant of the Heartless! He thought they were made up, something his imagination conjured due to the heat. Apparently, he thought wrong. He gently patted the side of her face, trying to get some movement from her.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked in a soft voice. He got nothing out of her, and that's when Sora started to get worried. He started to lift her up, but was stopped when she finally started coughing up sea water. He moved back an inch or two and let her clear her lungs. Once she began to breathe normally and move around, he spoke up.

"Are…are you okay?" he asked again. The girl slowly opened her eyes, shielding them from the intense sun. She turned her head to look at Sora, looking slightly confused. Sora was taken aback by her eyes; a beautiful purple with golden flakes. He'd never seen that color before!

"Wh…where am I?" she asked and tried to sit up. Sora quickly moved to help her. The girl let him, looking all around the island. Sora cleared his throat and carefully let go of her, happy she could sit up on her own.

"Destiny Island…" he said. "Are you…not from here?" he asked, quelling the excitement that had formed inside him. The girl shook her head slowly, looking back at Sora, worry in her beautiful eyes. Sora nervously glanced back to the ocean to see if he could see a boat or anything that she may have fallen off of. He returned his gaze back to the worried girl beside him.

"Do you know where you're from?" he asked, getting another head shake. Sora rubbed his head, not knowing what to do, and not wanting to ask the obvious.

"I'm Toni…" she said in a quiet voice. Sora smiled slightly and held out his hand.

"I'm Sora."

Silence. Sora kept stealing sideways glances at Toni, who seemed to be taking in everything about the island. Once or twice he was sure she caught him, but she didn't say anything. It was only when Toni shifted uncomfortably that Sora decided to speak up.

"So you're from another world?" he asked. Toni chuckled.

"I guess…I mean, I don't remember this place, but I don't remember another place either…" she trailed off. Sora tried so hard to suppress a smile, but it slipped out. He could see Toni's eyebrow raising and couldn't help but start laughing, startling the poor girl.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "It's just…there's only one other person here from another world." He explained. Toni seemed to understand, but Sora kept going, just in case. "I've been here my whole life and would give anything to see other worlds…" he said in a dreamy kind of voice, his eyes shifting to the endless blue sky, smiling. Toni laughed a little bit and looked to the sky with him, but thoughts of other worlds didn't cross her mind. This world was on her mind. This little island called Destiny Island, and her mission to destroy this beautiful little slice of paradise.

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For new readers, I know Toni sounds like a MarySue, but she's not! Trust me! Just keep reading and please review! I greatly value your opinions, thoughts, and comments~


	2. Forze Del Male

Chapter 2 rewritten! Enjoy~ you may notice Toni's personality is way different. That's because in the previous version, she changes so much from the first chapters! It bugged me so I fixed it! oh and 000 are breaks

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Soon, Toni and Sora had become fast friends. She was very quickly introduced to the others, and took a very strong liking to Riku. Naturally, Riku didn't mind, and neither did Sora, but Kairi did. Like most girls, Kairi did nothing but spew about Toni to Selphie. When asked to explain why she harbored such hatred for the newcomer, Kairi couldn't think of a reason other than 'she felt a bad vibe from her.' Toni didn't care, but Sora took it to heart. How could someone not like Toni just because of a vibe? Him and Riku settled on the idea that Kairi was jealous. Unbeknownst to anyone else, Sora was too. All of Toni's attention went to Riku, leaving Sora high and dry and wishing for his new, and old, friends company.

Her instantaneous liking to Riku wasn't the only thing that worried Sora. When asked, Toni always refused to stay with anyone on the island. Instead, she opted to stay in the tree house, shying away from the mainland. She didn't want to be a burden. So everyone pitched in and helped Toni's living situation by bringing her food, clothes, blankets and pillows, and anything else she needed, and Toni was very grateful. Life was going good for the little islanders!

On one lazy afternoon, while Toni was watching the waves like she did, Sora came up with an idea. He gathered up Riku and Kairi and sat with them in the shade, out of hearing distance from their new friend.

"We should stay with her tonight." Sora said with a bright smile as he lounged on the soft sand under the palm trees. Kairi got a rather displeased look on her face.

"I don't think that's a good idea…" she said, crossing her arms across her chest. "If she doesn't want to stay with anyone, maybe she should be left alone. That's what she wants, right?"

Sora laughed and shook his head. "She gave everyone a valid reason, Kairi."

"Yea." Riku chimed in lazily, his crystal blue eyes half closed in sleep. "I kind of like his idea."

Kairi huffed in frustration and was about to speak up about the infamous vibe she got from Toni, but she was cut off by Sora

"You don't have to stay." he said teasingly. "Riku and I will stay here with her. Just us. And her. Alone."

Kairi glared death at Sora, but sighed and gave up, turning to look at Toni. She was startled to see the girls purple and golden eyes staring right into hers, and recoiled at what she saw in them. It wasn't curiosity or kindness like she usually saw, but wickedness. Fearing for Sora and Riku's safety, she turned to the boys, quickly covering up her recent discovery.

"Fine." She said and stood up. "I'll stay." With that, she quickly walked away to try and find Selphie. She seemed to be the only other one who believed her about Toni. Sora laughed and shook his head.

"So it's settled then!" He said and looked at Toni with a warm smile. Toni grinned back and turned back to stare at the ocean. Tonight, she thought, was going to be interesting.

000

After sunset, Sora, Riku, and Kairi went home to get a few things for their sleepover. Toni took that time to get ready, but in her own special way. She cleaned up a few things, making room for her guests. She then returned to the shoreline, but not to wait for her friends. A light breeze sent her hair lightly billowing behind her and her full length skirt following in suit. A small grin passed her pretty little face as she held her arms out a few inches from her body. Her eyes flashed gold, seemingly consuming her pupils and glowing. She herself began to gain a dark aura as the wind around her picked up. A dark figure materialized before her, quickly filling in to form a tall, well built man clad in a black cloak. On his chest was the Heartless symbol. His golden eyes shone through the night brighter than Toni's and locked onto the young girl that summoned him. Toni bowed deeply, keeping her eyes on his feet.

"Rise, Toni." The man said in a deep, booming voice. Toni stood up and locked her eyes with him. "Why have you summoned me?"

"I found the Master, Sire. Just as you said, he has the potential to hold much darkness in his heart. Tonight, him and his friends are staying with me, which works out rather nicely." She said with a wicked little grin. The man before her smiled as well and gently stroked her hair.

"Well done, Toni. The final stage is set to take place within the week. Summon me again in two days. Do not let me down." When he was done speaking, the man disappeared into a pool of dark liquid. Toni's eyes slowly returned to purple, her golden flakes shining in the pale moonlight.

"Toni!"

Toni nearly jumped out of her skin. She snapped her head to where the voice came from and saw Sora, Kairi, and Riku rowing up to shore. Her heart started pounding in her chest as she fought her nerves to put on her little façade. Sora eagerly jumped onto the dock and helped Riku and Kairi tie up their boats before walked over to their seemingly surprised friend. Kairi stayed behind her two boys, her bad feeling increasing ten fold. Sora just grinned his cute boyish grin at Toni.

"Hope you don't mind us staying for the night." He said. Riku chuckled and jabbed his thumb towards Sora.

"It was his idea." He grinned. Toni giggled and pushed her hair from her face.

"I don't mind at all! It's nice to have company!" she said with a laugh. "C'mon, let's put your stuff away!" she said happily and nearly skipped to the tree house, sending a shiver down Kairi's spine.

Once everything was put away, the four friends returned to the beach. They sat there in a circle, talking of other worlds, happenings on the mainland, anything and everything that came up. Toni made sure to sit next to Riku. If she wanted to complete tonight's mission, she had to stay close to her target at all times. It was becoming more and more difficult, though. She kept feeling Kairi's eyes on her and sensed her obvious unease. She even tried to wedge herself between Toni and Riku, but her plan backfired. Riku stayed close to Toni, taking Kairi's actions as pure jealousy.

"You can't hog me, Kairi." He said teasingly and put his arm around Toni's shoulder, pulling her close, making her actually blush. "I belong to everyone!"

Sora almost fell over laughing. Kairi didn't find that funny at all. She stood up, frustrated and walked off to the other side of the island to calm down. Sora stopped laughing as soon as she started walking off. Riku sighed and ran after her. Sora glanced at Toni and smiled nervously.

"Don't mind Kairi. She's just like that." He said and stretched his legs out on the sand. Toni laughed slightly and tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"Eh heh…"

Silence passed between the two teens. Toni looked off towards the horizon, admiring how it looked under the full moon. It's such a pity this world had to be destroyed. She thought about secretly keeping this little island to herself, as a private get away from the world of darkness from whence she came. Just her and her friends…

"So, do you remember anything from your home world?" Sora asked, suddenly sitting right next to Toni. She jumped slightly at his sudden closeness, but laughed it off.

"Um, well I don't remember much." She said, relaxing once again. "It wasn't nearly as blissful as this place, though…" she said quietly. She leaned back on her hands, her legs curled up catlike under her. The water tried to lap at her knees, but she was just out of reach. Sora smiled and looked up to the starry night. Toni glanced at him, her eyes glittering gold in the dim night light. The look in his eyes, the purity of his heart…had she gotten the wrong Master? No, Riku was the master, Toni was positive! She shook the doubt from her head as she kept her eye on the water trying in vain to get to her.

"It's not that great…going to other worlds…" She said in a careless whisper. Sora looked at her questioningly.

"How—"

"Sorry about that." Riku said, walking up to the two with Kairi by his side. Toni and Sora looked up at the two, smiling.

"Oh, it's cool!" Toni said with a laugh. Riku grinned back at Toni and sat next to her, Kairi taking a seat next to Sora. The four just sat by the water, watching the moonlight reflect off of its surface. Everyone was trying to think of something to do, especially Kairi. She had to figure out a way to get rid of Toni! She didn't know why, but she got an incredibly evil vibe from the newcomer. She just had to protect her boys! That's when it hit her. She grinned and latched herself onto Sora's arm.

"We should play truth or dare!" she said, grinning directly at Toni. She turned around and was tempted to backhand her across the face for giving her that look. But she remained calm and just blinked at her, thinking fast at a way to figure out and thwart Kairi's idea.

"Um…I don't know how to play that." She said shyly. Sora and Riku just stared at her, slightly dumbstruck. Kairi hesitated.

"It's easy." Riku said with a laugh and pat her on the back. "You get to ask someone truth or dare, and if they pick truth, they have to answer any question you ask them. If they pick dare, though, they have to do whatever you say." He explained with a grin. Toni held back her own evil grin and just settled with a nod.

"Okay…I think I get it." She lied.

"Should we play extreme?" Kairi asked Riku and Sora, who just shrugged. Kairi then turned to Toni, who shrugged as well.

"I don't see why not." She said with a grin.

"Okay then!" Kairi started. "Toni, truth or dare."

Sora and Riku looked at each other, sensing a hint of trouble. Toni thought for a while. She could play into Kairi's plan and then later blow it up from the inside, or she could have a bit of fun in the process. She tapped her finger to her lips, still thinking.

"Hmmm…truth."

Kairi didn't hesitate with thinking for a question.

"Do you REALLY not remember what world you're from?"

This caught Toni, as well as Sora and Riku, totally off guard. The two boys glared at Kairi for asking such a question. Toni, on the other hand, just stared. Was Toni that obvious? No, she couldn't be. She had years of training under her belt, and magic beyond anyone's belief. That, and she didn't think that highly of Kairi's intelligence. Before her hesitation seemed to obvious, she pinched her leg to make her eyes well up in tears.

"Why do you think I'm lying?! Why would I lie about forgetting everything about my family, my friends, my home?!" she nearly yelled, which helped with her frustration. Kairi winced slightly, doubts running through her head. Sora moved quickly to comfort Toni, sliding his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"What's gotten into you, Kairi?" Riku asked rather harshly. "Toni's never done anything to you."

_At least not yet…_Toni thought as she snuggled close to Sora for emphasis. She secretly kept her glaring eyes on Kairi, fighting the urge to take care of her now. But this wasn't the right time. That would come later tonight…

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I hope you liked it! Reviews make me oh so happy~


	3. Guardando Nel Buio

Chapter 3 rewritten!

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After the truth or dare incident, the night flew by. Kairi apologized, and Toni 'forgave' her. They continued with the game with some interesting results. A few clothes were shed, and some kisses were shared. Once the game was worn out, the group discovered that it was two in the morning! So, everyone climbed up to the tree house and fell right to sleep. That is, everyone but Toni. She sat near the back of the tree house, watching the other three sleep. Sora and Riku lay sprawled across their cots. Kairi was nestled deeply in her own cot, curled up on her side, facing Toni.

Toni turned her attention back to Sora and Riku again. They looked so peaceful, so comfortable in their sleep pants. She had noticed before how handsome both of them were, but now, in the moonlight, their features were enhanced. She felt a pang of guilt wrenching Sora from his world, possibly ending his life even. She suddenly shook her head and shifted to where she was sitting cross-legged at the head of the boys' cot. She had a job to do and couldn't let some feelings get in her way.

A slight weight in her lap cause Toni's senses to go on Red Alert. Her eyes flashed quickly to gold and darted to her lap. Sora had moved to where his head was resting in her lap. Toni blushed furiously as her eyes turned back to purple. Sora sure did move a lot in his sleep. He had a perfectly good pillow, and here he was, laying in her lap. Toni sighed and gently smoothed his hair back from his face, running her fingers through his thick brown hair. Sora was the only one who she thought genuinely liked her. He was always so nice to her, always stayed with her when she got lonely, just always there, smiling the whole way. She could put a barrier around his heart so he could be with her through her whole mission, but that could be very, very dangerous, considering how pure his heart was. Her sire would see it as a threat and do away with him himself. So, Toni had to deal with the thought of losing her only best friend.

Riku shifted in his sleep, causing Toni to leave her thoughts and come back to reality. She gently moved Sora back to his own cot. She quietly crawled next to Riku and took a deep breath. She had to do this right or the whole plan would go up in smoke. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. When she opened them again, they were completely gold. She placed her left hand over Riku's heart and her right over his eyes. She quietly began to mutter something under her breath.

Her hands started to glow a faint shade of black. The areas under her hands began to glow as well as she kept up her muttering, channeling darkness into his body. This handy little skill was taught to her especially by her Master for this plan. This little spell was to ensure that Riku didn't get the Keyblade, and the he became bound to the darkness that Toni was bound to. They would be partners, the Prince and Princess of Darkness.

Kairi stirred and yawned. She stretched her arms above her head and sat up. Her eyes immediately landed on Toni. Fear and anger filled her eyes as she quickly kicked off her sleeping bag and stood up.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled. Toni quickly stopped her spell and jumped back, away from Riku. Her head snapped to face Kairi, her eyes still glowing gold. Kairi paled slightly as her mind ran wild.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" She stammered. Toni growled and stood up, her eyes like ice as she backed Kairi up against the wall. Kairi looked terrified as Toni's eyes burned holes into her.

"Just because you're a Princess of Heart," Toni said in a menacing voice. "doesn't mean that I won't hurt you." Toni reached out and covered Kairi's eyes, causing her to yelp at her touch. Toni moved closer to whisper in her ear. "And believe me, Princess, I will hurt you if you threaten me or my plans. Now, you will forget everything you saw tonight. As far as you know, we're best friends and had just a peachy time."

Kairi was shaking with fear. Toni chuckled cynically and chanted a small memory block spell. Once she was done, Kairi slumped to the floor, asleep. Toni brushed off her hands and turned her attention back to Riku. She still had unfinished business with her Prince.

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Oh my~ bad Toni! Reviews make Newin happy! By the way, it was hard to find a title for this chapter D: most songs from the CD were used for other chapters.


	4. Night of Fate

Longest chapter yet! I procrastinated so bad on this one!

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The next morning, Kairi woke up with a splitting headache. She slowly opened her eyes, shielding them from the dawn light that filled the tree house. She looked around, finding herself leaning against the wall.

"H-how…?"

"You stayed up pretty late and just fell asleep against the wall." Toni said with a smile in her voice from her cot. She was in the shadows, curled up on her stomach under a blanket Sora had given her. Kairi gasped, startled by her talking. She tried to get her eyes to adjust to the light in order to see her, but it wasn't working very well.

"Really? I…don't remember…" Kairi rubbed her head and looked to the floor to think. Toni grinned from ear to ear into her pillow, ecstatic that her little spell was working so well.

"How long have you been awake?" Kairi asked and stood up to stretch her stiff muscles. Toni shrugged and moved her head to look at Kairi.

"A while now…that light's too bright." She said with a small laugh. "I'll tell you, nothing can wake you guys once you're out!" Kairi giggled, but it sounded awkward. She was very worried about the block that was in her memory where last night should have been. She remembered falling asleep very late after truth or dare, and the rest is a blank. She could have sworn she woke up, but she didn't remember what she saw, or even if it was a dream. She sighed and decided to let it go as her eyes drifted to the still sleeping boys. They were still twisted up in their blankets and sleeping bags.

Toni stood up and stretched herself.

"I'm going to go rinse off in the water fall." She said with a smile to Kairi and left. Once outside, she shuddered. She hated putting on a mask and being nice, but she had to do it. Just a little while longer, she told herself.

She headed down to the peaceful waterfall and took in a deep breath. If everything kept going well, this world would be gone in no time, and she would have a prince. There was almost nothing standing in her way. Correction, there was one thing in her way: Sora. She tossed aside her shirt and skirt and hopped in the water, wincing at the cold. Sora's heart was so pure, so innocent, and if she wasn't careful, he could put a damper on things. She'd grown too close to him. When the time came to destroy this island and take everyone's hearts, she knew she was going to have a tough time with Sora. And if she failed, then she'd have to life with the fact that she lied to him and have him hate her.

'Stop thinking like that!' She scolded herself in her mind as she let the water run through her hair. 'You're a freaking princess of darkness! The only people you need to be close to are your prince and your master. That's all you need in life…' Toni sighed as she kept arguing with herself. She finally smacked herself, her eyes glowing gold again. Her mission was her mission. If she wanted all the power her master had promised her, she had to gather as many hearts as she could, and the purer, the better. Sora was a prime cut of heart.

Toni climbed out of the water and wrung her hair out. She then quickly put on her underwear and shirt, but stopped with her skirt half on when she heart rustling. She turned quickly to see Riku just grinning at her.

"You know, you could ask to take a shower at someone's house." He said with a small laugh. Toni turned a bright shade of red.

"Wh-where you watching me the whole time?!" She asked, embarrassed. Riku just laughed and shook his head.

"I didn't see anything, don't worry. But seriously, why didn't you ask me to use my shower?" he asked, still grinning. Toni quickly finished getting dressed and cleared her throat.

"W-well you were sleeping so soundly—"

"You didn't have trouble bothering me when you did that spell last night." Riku said. Oh, that explained the grin, Toni thought. Well crap! Her eyes locked with his as her mind raced to come up with an excuse. She knew she should have been more careful! But her mind wasn't focused. She could just kick herself!

"Don't worry about it." Riku said, noticing her internal struggle. He grinned once again and tucked a stray strand of wet hair behind her ear. "It feels kind of nice. Like this new power has been awakened inside of me or something." Toni looked up at Riku, her eyes glinting gold in the morning light. Well this sure made things a hell of a lot easier. A grin started to form on her face as she got closer to Riku.

"There's plenty more where that came from…" she said in a low, sensual voice. Riku was about to make a move, but a sound from above them made both teens quickly step away from each other and look up. Sora was standing on the balcony of the tree house, watching with a huge grin on his face.

"Oh don't mind me!" he called with a laugh. "Just enjoying the morning show!"

Toni and Riku both laughed and Riku grabbed Toni, pulling her into a snug embrace, winking up at Sora.

"Then the show must go on!"

Toni squealed like a little girl and began laughing as well. She was in a very good mood! Sora doesn't have a clue what went on last night and Riku's more than willing to succumb to the darkness! If things kept going like this, she might get bored. It was just to easy!

000

Two days had passed since the little sleepover, and everyone had grown closer to Toni, especially Riku. A rumor had spread on the mainland that the two were dating. Toni didn't mind in the least. Riku was hot, and having all the girls on Destiny Island envy her was an added bonus. Her and Sora had become amazing friends, as well, making it all the more hard to take his heart. She kept having to remind herself that her mission came first.

Speaking of missions, Toni had to make sure her Sire knew that she had found Riku and successfully brought him into darkness. Right before Riku and the others decided to leave for the night, she pulled Riku aside.

"Stay with me tonight." She said, her eyes glinting gold in the quickly setting sun. Riku glanced at Sora and Kairi, who were waiting for him. He grinned and put his arm around Toni.

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna stay here for the night." Riku said with a wink. Sora grinned and gave him a thumbs up as Kairi giggled and got in the boat.

"You two play nice!" He said in a sing-song voice. Toni and Riku laughed and watched as Kairi and Sora floated away towards the mainland. Once they were out of earshot, Riku turned to Toni.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, gently brushing her hair from her face. Toni grinned and took his hand, leading him to the secret cove. Once they were inside, she let go of Rikus hand and proceeded to light the little cave with small floating fireballs.

"I have someone I want you to meet." She said in a sensual voice. Riku chuckled and leaned casually against the cave wall, his eyes on Toni. She stood in the middle of the cave, her eyes turning from violet to gold. A dark aura surrounded her and the quiet cave suddenly took on the roar of an approaching gale. Dark mist filled the cave as the roar grew louder. Finally, it died down, and from the mist rose a dark figure hidden by shadows. The figure put an arm around Toni's shoulders and turned it's intense golden eyes to a stunned Riku. Toni just grinned and turned her head slightly to speak to the figure who just materialized.

"I found my Prince, Sire…" she said. The figures eyes looked Riku up and down, assessing his power.

"He was the chosen one, but I fixed that." Toni added with pride in her voice. Riku raised an eyebrow. Toni hadn't told him about that…

"Boy." The figure said in a deep voice, addressing Riku. He let go of Toni and walked over to him. "What's your name?"

"The name's Riku." Riku said boldly. Ansem grinned and chuckled. Finally, he had found the Keyblade Master.

"What is your desire in life, Riku?" he asked, forming a ball of darkness in his hand. Riku took a second to calm his heart, then finally spoke up.

"I want to see other worlds." He said with confidence. The man chuckled again and the dark ball in his hand suddenly shot towards the door at the back of the cave, barely missing Toni's head. The ball made a horrible hissing sound on impact.

"In exactly three days," the man said over the hissing. "this world will be connected to others. Your desire, Riku, will be fulfilled. Toni," he said, turning to Toni. "bring your prince and the princess to my realm."

"Yes, Sire." Toni sand and bowed deeply, her violet hair falling over her shoulders. Riku followed her example and bowed as well. The man suddenly vanished, leaving a small pocket of mist in his place. The hissing coming from the door stopped and cleared as well. The two teens stood back up straight, grins on their faces. Toni walked over to Riku and leaned against him, toying with his silver hair.

"Soon, my prince…" she whispered in his ear. "Soon we will reign over all…"

000

Three days came and went on little Destiny Island. Toni was a little restless and couldn't hold still for a minute. She constantly walked around the island and sparred with the boys more than ever before. She just couldn't wait any longer for the plan to take action. Riku was, of course, his usual cool headed self. He kept the other busy while Toni burned off steam on some poor palm trees on the far side of the island. Sora, though, was determined to find the root of Toni's anxiety.

On the afternoon of the third day, Sora found Toni sitting on the Paopu tree. He walked up behind her and pulled himself onto the tree next to her. She glanced at him, swinging her legs back and forth as they dangled from the tree. Sora smiled and just kept looking at her.

"You've been acting different lately. Is everything okay?" he asked. Toni nodded slightly, though she did feel bad for neglecting Sora.

"Yea…I'm just thinking too much." She said with a small laugh and slid off the tree. Sora made a face and hopped off the tree right behind her. He quickly cut off her escape and crossed his arms over his chest, looking determined.

"I don't believe you. I know something's wrong." He said, looking more worried than determined now. "You know you can tell me anything…"

Toni sighed, actually distraught. She didn't mean to grow close to Sora, it just happened! She felt horrible for keeping things from him, but she had to. She thought long and hard about what to do. She couldn't tell him exactly what was up. He would do something stupid, like try and stop her. She started to say something, but stopped. She looked down to the beach and saw the other kids loading up their boats to go home. Toni sighed and looked up at the youth standing in her way. She had to make sure of something before this little slice of paradise was destroyed.

"Fine…" she tugged on Sora's arm to get him to move out of her way. Once the path was clear, she took off, laughing. "But you'll have to catch me first!" She called as she ran as fast as she could. Sora literally eeped and ran after her, laughing as well. Toni was glad she decided to do this. She really liked Sora, and this would be a memory she knew she'd hold onto for dear life.

The little chase lasted until the sun finally set. Toni ran to the end of the small pier and suddenly stopped. Sora, on the other hand, couldn't stop that fast. He dodged Toni so he wouldn't ram into her and ended up falling into the ocean. Toni had to sit down to keep from falling over laughing. Sora resurfaced and just glared up at her, but it was all in good fun.

"That wasn't funny…" he muttered, fighting back a smile himself. He pulled himself back onto the pier next to the still laughing Toni.

"It was hilarious!" Toni said through her laughter. Sora shook his head to rid the water from his hair and got Toni wet in the process. He grinned playing at Toni, who had quickly stopped laughing.

"Now THAT was funny!" he said with a laugh, and Toni joined him. The laughter slowly faded away into the quiet night. Sora's gaze was locked on the water, and Toni's was on the sky. Any moment now, the destruction of this world would begin, and she would have to be the one to take Sora's heart from him. But she had a mission to complete. Feelings had no place in the workplace.

"So, what was bothering you today…?" Sora asked, breaking the silence and Toni's thoughts. She looked at him for a long time, taking in as much as she could. She sighed then stood up and walked to the center of the pier and turned back to Sora, who's eyes were glued to her.

"I'll tell you, but you have to promise me something…" She said, her face and voice very serious. Sora blinked a few times and turned his whole body towards her.

"Sure…what?"

Thunder rumbled off in the distance as rainclouds started to creep in, covering up the moon and stars, taking away the main source of light. Toni's eyes flashed gold in the darkness, startling Sora. One of her hands formed a purple mist around it, and the other gold. She reached out and started to draw in the air. Sora stared in amazement.

"You know there are dark things in this world, Sora…" she said and drew a horrible beast in purple mist, the Darkside. Sora gasped, recognizing the creature immediately from his dream. He shot up, shocked. How…

Toni then drew a door in gold mist over the Darkside, making it fizzle out. "And you know there is light…"

Lightning flashed across the sky behind her, but she didn't even notice. She just kept her beautiful golden eyes on Sora, whose mouth was slightly open.

"Promise me, Sora…" she drew a mini Sora in purple mist and put a small, golden dot where his heart was. "that your heart will remain pure, no matter how dark the world may get…" She walked through the mist, causing it to fizzle away. Her hands stopped glowing and her eyes turned back to violet. Sora stared down at her, still trying to comprehend everything he just saw. Toni gently cupped his cheek and smiled softly.

"Promise me, Sora."

Sora tried to speak, but nothing came out. He settled with a nod and cleared his throat. Toni smiled and ran her thumb across his cheek.

"Good..now go home and get some sleep…you'll need it." With that, Toni turned and walked away towards her tree house. Sora watched her go until she was out of sight. He had a lot of thinking to do…

When Sora got home, the storm over Destiny Island had gotten worse, and Kairi and Riku showed up missing. Sora could have sworn he saw them leave before he did, but their parents never saw them. That scared Sora…a lot. He feared that they had gotten lost at sea, or worse…

Sora raced back to Destiny Island, hoping and praying that they were there. He saw their boats before he docked and sighed with great relief. He tied his up and jumped onto the pier, looking around for them. Movement in the corner of his eye made him look up slightly. Hundreds of shadow creatures were all over the island. Sora gasped and took a step back. He had seen these creatures in his dream too! But what did it mean?

"Toni!" Sora yelled and ran towards her tree house, but the ladder was destroyed. The Shadows were up near the house, tearing it apart. Sora cursed under his breath and ran to try and find Toni, Kairi, and Riku. There was only one place he could think of.

Sora stopped at the end of the tunnel that led to the cove. Kairi was standing in front of the door at the back of the cove with Toni.

"Kairi! Toni!" he called, relieved to see they were okay. Kairi turned slowly to face Sora, her eyes empty like a dolls. Toni turned around as well and grinned, putting her arm around Kairi's shoulder.

"Hello, Sora. Long time no see." She said sarcastically. Inside, though, she knew his heart was breaking, and she felt horrible. But she suppressed those feelings. After all, it was a bad idea to have feelings for your enemy. Toni toyed with Kairi's auburn hair as her grin grew wider. "So nice of you to join us!"

Sora couldn't believe his eyes. A whole slew of emotions flooded his mind and heart. Toni looked so evil, so different, and he could feel his heart breaking.

"Wh…"

"Kairi's mine now! She's very important to me, y'know."

Sora could do nothing but stare. Toni got the most sinister look on his face, which hurt Sora even more.

"If you want her so bad…then catch!" she said and shoved Kairi towards Sora. Just as she did that, the door at the back of the cave shot open, blasting Sora out of the cave. Toni and Kairi both fizzled away. He flew out the entrance and into a palm tree. He coughed and gagged, trying desperately to get his breath back.

Why was this happening? Why was Toni involved? This didn't make any sense to Sora. She was his best friend. As he laid there in the sand, he wondered what had gone wrong. He opened his eyes and was shocked, once again, to see a huge darkness orb floating above the island. Sora shot up and stared at it.

"What…the hell is going on…?" he looked around and saw the Shadows closing in on him. He jumped up and ran towards the shack that led to the small island with the Paopu fruit tree. Sora ran across the bridge and saw Riku, his back turned to him, with Toni. He growled and stopped at the end of the bridge.

"Riku! Get away from her!" He yelled. Riku just smirked and turned to see Sora. Toni laughed cynically and wrapped her arms around Riku's hips.

"Aw, are you getting greedy, Sora?" she asked teasingly. Riku put his arm around Toni's shoulders and grinned at Sora.

"C'mon, Sora. Toni can get us to other worlds All you have to do is take my hand and you can join us!" Riku held out his hand to Sora, who just shook his head, not believing that he was siding with Toni. A large dark pool formed under Riku and Toni, snaking slowly up their bodies.

"Riku!" Sora cried and tried to run to him, but he was stopped by a pool underneath him, keeping him in place. He gasped and tried to get free, but he couldn't move his legs. He looked back to Riku, who still had his hand held out to him. Sora reached out for him, but wasn't quite close enough to grab on. This whole time, Toni was laughing.

"No…" Sora gasped as the whole world went dark and as Riku and Toni vanished.

A bright light flashed and Sora could finally feel his body again. The world rematerialized around him. He was back on Destiny Island, but in his hand was the Keyblade exactly like the one from his dream. As he looked around the dying world, Toni's words came to mind.

"_You know there is dark, Sora, and you know there is light. Promise me that your heart will remain pure, no matter how dark the world may get."_

_

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_Poor Sora :'D by the way, Toni knew all along Sora would get the Keyblade, but she kept that little secret to herself. It'll all come together later~ Reviews make Newin happy!


	5. Dive Into the Heart

Yay chapter 5, Dive into the Heart! I'm naming all the chapters after songs on the Kingdom Hearts Sountrack because I'm a nerd like that~ Enjoy!

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Sora had tried to fight off the Heartless that invaded his island, but there were too many. They all ganged up on him and formed into the beast called the Darkside. Sora fought it with all his might, but before he could deliver the final blow, the Darkside shattered what was left of his Destiny Island, throwing Sora into darkness.

As he fell through the darkness, his mind was racing. He was trying to piece together a plausible story as to why Toni would do this. He thought they were friends, he trusted her so much, and then she turns around and takes his home, his friends, his family from him. She deceived him…she deceived everyone. Sora had a hard time believing it. Toni just couldn't do that. They were friends. Best friends. This was all just a horrible, horrible nightmare. When he wakes up, everything will be back to normal. Toni would be good, and he'd have his life back…

Sora came back to the world of the living when he felt something warm and wet lap his cheek. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. He was greeted by a strange yellow dog. Okay, now this PROVED that he was dreaming.

"Whoa…what a dream…" He muttered and closed his eyes again, expecting to see the beach with Toni, Riku, and Kairi by his side the next time he opened them. The dog didn't like this, though. He slammed his front paws into Sora's chest, startling him awake. He let out a yell and just stared at the little yellow dog.

"This…this isn't a dream!" he exclaimed, distraught. He slowly stood up with the aide of the wall and looked around the small alley he was in. Nothing looked familiar. The dog just looked up at him and wagged his thin black tail, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Sora rubbed his head and sighed.

"Oh boy…" he looked down at the dog and tried to communicate with it. "Do you know where we are?" he asked. The dog just looked up at him, not responding. Then, his ear raised like he was listening for something, and a moment after that, he took off out of the alley. Sora gasped and ran after him.

"Hey!"

"Well, well, well, sleeping beauty finally woke up!" Toni was sitting on a wooden crate at the entrance to the hallway. Sora gasped and backpedaled, nearly falling over. His wide eyes were fixated to the grinning girl. She looked completely different. Her eyes weren't soft and kind, her face was twisted into a sinister grin, even her clothes looked more dark and menacing! He could see the Heartless crest on her chest that wasn't there before. Sora's surprise turned to anger as Toni crossed her legs and leaned on her elbow, still grinning. "Did you sleep well?" She asked sarcastically.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" Sora snapped. He now realized that going back to the way things were was never going to happen. He now realized that him and Toni were going to become worst enemies…Toni laughed and hopped off the crate, brushing her hair from her face.

"Sightseeing! Though this world is boring. I think I might obliterate it like I did your little island." Toni's voice held malice and, surprisingly, joy. Sora's heart broke even more as he heard her talk to gleefully about destroying worlds. His Keylade formed in his hand as his anger escalated. Toni let out a small laugh.

"So…you got the Keyblade after all…" she said, her face dropping slightly. "I knew it…"

"I won't let you destroy any more worlds, Toni!" Sora nearly yelled. "I swear to you, I'll stop you any way I can!"

Toni's eyes were fixated on Sora, glancing occasionally to his Keyblade. She could have prevented this, she knew she could have. This would only cause her, Sora, and her precious Prince nothing but pain. But she didn't. She had a plan…a plan that Sora couldn't learn about.

"Alright then. I accept your challenge." She said with a grin. "Commence Round 1." She said with a laugh and vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Sora drew a ragged breath as the smoke dissipated and put away his Keyblade. So, him and Toni were now enemies. If that was so, then where did Riku and Kairi stand? He couldn't bear the thought of losing all his friends, or worse, having them become enemies like Toni had.

Sora slowly walked out of the alleyway, his hands in his pockets and his heart heavy and cold. He looked up and observed the new world he was in. A sign near a large door at the entrance said Traverse Town.

"Well…looks like I got what I wanted…" Sora said bitterly and slowly began to explore this new world.

000

Toni reappeared in a dark room with eight figures around what looked like a cauldron emitting a greenish light. One of the figures turned to face her, his golden eyes piercing the darkness of the room.

"Sire." Toni said and bowed.

"The other boy from the island, the one you were so friendly with, is the new Keyblade Master." He said coldly and made a small gesture to the other members. They filed out of the room, muttering and grinning at the beat down that they were sure was going to ensue. Toni looked up at her Sire.

"Ansem I swear to you I didn't know! I thought the Darkside—"

"Silence." He said not in a yell, but in a deep, commanding voice. "The other boy, Sora. His heart was purer than that of your Princes'. He got the Keyblade because you brought your Prince into darkness. You should have taken his heart when you had the chance." He scolded, his voice growing louder and more intense with each word. Toni flinched and looked to the floor. She knew what was coming, and she knew Sora would never know of the sacrifice she made for him. There were other ways of protecting him, she knew it, but this was the least obvious, even though it put her and her friends in grave danger. She should have really thought this through more. Ansem smiled coldly at her and slowly walked up to her. Toni kept her eyes down. Ansem placed a cold, gloved hand on her shoulder, causing her to wince.

"Do you have feelings for the new Master?" he asked, getting closer to Toni. She locked her gaze with his and put on the most serious face she could muster up.

"I only have feelings for my Sire and my Prince." She said slowly, emphasizing every word. Ansem chuckled and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Good…"

000

Sora wandered through the cozy little First District of Traverse Town, inspecting every nook and cranny he could find. When he got to the door that lead to the Second District, though, he hesitated. He got a very ominous feeling from those doors. He should have trusted his gut, but he slowly opened the doors anyway and walked into the Second District with caution. He looked around, taking in the sights.

"Hm…this is pretty cool." He said out loud with a small smile and took another step forward. As soon as his foot hit the ground, Shadows formed all around him. He gasped and quickly took out his Keyblade, ready for combat. Those things had followed him! They were going to destroy this little world too! No…not if Sora could help it. Where there were Heartless, Toni was bound to be around somewhere. Sora started bashing away at the Heartless, determination in every swing of his Keyblade.

He was still trying to come to terms with what Toni had done and the battle he had been thrown into. It pained him. Every time he saw a Heartless, he thought of the old Toni, the one with the brightest smile and friendly personality. But that Toni was gone. Instead, he was left to face a very evil, and very powerful Toni, and there was no chance of him getting her back. She even took his friends, leaving him all alone to face the task that had been thrown before him

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Aw, poor Sora...again! You would think after all he's been through he'd be a little more like this in the game. But he's a trooper! Toni's plan is going to be hard to work into the next chapter D: Reviews make Neiwn happy!


	6. Destiny's Force

**This chapter gave me some major issues! I had started rewriting the wrong chapter and got myself all sorts of confused! But now it's fixed and I'm happy...except I have to find out what happened and if I'm on the right track oh noes! Enjoy!**

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Sora went through the Second and Third Districts, taking out his anger and frustration on the Heartless that came after him. It was good for him to vent; it kept his mind clear when the Heartless weren't trying to kill him. But the more he bashed away at Heartless, the angrier he felt. He just couldn't come to terms with what had happened in the past 24 hours. He just couldn't believe that one of his best friends would do this to him. He was afraid that, soon, he'd have to face her, and if she could make these little Heartless appear, then he'd be no match for her.

Once Sora had run himself ragged, he decided to make his way back to the First District to rest. He remembered seeing a little accessory shop, and figured that would be the best place to rest up. He entered the little shop, his hands in his pockets and his head buzzing with thoughts. The shopkeeper turned to greet him.

"Hey there, how can I…aw, it's only a kid." He said, annoyed. He leaned against the counter and almost immediately lost interest in the teen. Sora half-glared at the old man and took a few steps forward.

"I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!" He snapped. He felt a little bad for snapping, but he wasn't in the mood to deal with rudeness. The man looked a little surprised and held up his hands.

"Okay, okay, simmer down. So…why the long face, Sora? You lost or something?"

"No!" Sora snapped again. He recoiled from his own voice and rubbed his head. "Uh…well, maybe…"

The shopkeeper looked at Sora a little confused. Sora sighed and walked over to the counter and leaned on it. He hoped the shopkeeper was ready for a long story.

Sora told him everything, about his island, his friends, about Toni and what she was doing now. About how he was now locked in a battle he really didn't want to fight while looking for Kairi and Riku. He left out the fact that Riku went willingly, but then again, he didn't want to believe that part himself.

"Heh, that's one heck of a story, kid…" the man said with a grin. Sora made a sour face at being called kid, but he let it go.

"So…_gramps_, this really IS another world?" he asked, grinning on the inside, but keeping his face innocent. The mad glared at Sora and stood up straight, puffing out his chest all macho-man style.

"Don't call me gramps! The name's Cid! Anyway, not really sure what you're talkin' about, but this ain't your island."

Sora sighed and looked away from Cid. His last shred of hope that this was all a bad dream disintegrated before his very eyes. Silence passed between the two guys before Cid finally spoke up.

"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doing. If you ever run into trouble, you come to me. I'll look out for you."

Sora smiled at Cid and nodded. He bought a few things with the munny he picked up from the Heartless, rested, and then left to go bash in some more Heartless faces. It was a bitter-sweet feeling, but it was the only way Sora had to cope.

He walked into the Second District once again, prepared to fight off the swarm of Heartless he was expecting. Instead, the place was dead silent except for the sound of running. Sora stopped and looked around, still gripping his Keyblade tightly, ready for battle. A young man suddenly ran around the corner and fell to the ground. He stared up at the sky, terrified. Sora just stared at him, then gasped as the man's heart was taken. A Heartless Soldier appeared around the heart, consuming it. As quickly as it arrived, it vanished along with the man's body. Sora stared at the place where the man used to be, too shocked to speak, think, or even breathe. Suddenly, his whole body started trembling with rage. His grip on his Keyblade tightened as his face twisted into a glare. He looked down at the ground and cursed Toni in his mind. After what he saw, he no longer had problems coming to terms with what she had done. He believed it. After all, she brought these creatures to his island, she took Riku and Kairi from him, she took that man's heart, she's the one destroying lives…

"I swear, Toni, I will stop you, even if it means I have to—" he cut himself off and took off to go kill more Heartless.

Sora spent the next few hours finding and destroying any Heartless that crossed his bath. If there were none, he would curse Toni under his breath and vow all over again to stop her. But little did Sora know that he was being looked for. A strange white duck with no pants and a dog-like creature were searching the three districts, looking for the young key-bearer. You see, they had a mission too: to find the Keyblade and help save their king. This task, though was wearing on the ducks last nerves. They had been searching for hours and still they found nothing.

The strange duo finally ended up on the balcony of the Third District, looking down and around for any sign of movement. Suddenly, a Soldier Heartless materialized out of thin air, startling the two. The dog hid behind his massive shield while the duck took on a fighting stance.

"Gwarsh, are THESE the Heartless guys, Donald?" the dog asked the duck. Donald made a determined face and readied his wizard staff.

"Let's go get 'em, Goofy!" he said heroically. The Soldier looked at them for a while, not really sure whether these guys were serious or not. Oh well, this might be fun!

On the lower level of the Third District was none other than Sora. He was just standing there when all of a sudden…

"WHOA!" Donald and Goofy flew off the balcony and headed straight for him.

"Ah!" Sora tried to run out of the way, but he couldn't move fast enough. Donald and Goofy landed right on top of the young hero. Luckily, Sora moved his Keyblade just in time so as not to impale himself or anyone else.

Once Donald and Goofy got their heads back, they looked down at Sora and Saw his weapon.

"The Key!"

Before Sora could answer, Heartless Soldiers appeared around the three. He quickly stood up and readied his Keyblade, Donald and Goofy readying their weapons as well. Without another word, the three fought together like they had been a team for years. In no time, all of the Heartless were gone and the district was quiet again. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gathered in the center, looking around for signs of more.

"Very good! Wow, I'm impressed with you!" A familiar voice came from behind the group. Sora whirled around and saw Toni standing there with her arms crossed over her chest and a grin on her face. He growled

"What do you want?!" He yelled. Donald and Goofy looked up at the now angered youth.

"A friend of yours?" Donald asked. Sora didn't say anything, his eyes glued to Toni. Her golden eyes raised goose bumps all over his skin and made his stomach churn. She laughed coldly and clapped her hands together like a child.

"Oh, I see hostility in your eyes, Sora." She said in a playful tone. Sora's glare intensified as he took a small step forward.

"I asked you a question!"

"And I chose not to answer it." Toni snapped, returning his glare. "You know, you're becoming a real pain. I have a job to do, Sora, and you're messing it up. You and that stupid Key!" she yelled. Square pillars shot up around the edges of the district, blocking off all forms of escape for the trio. Metal parts fell from the sky and landed on the ground behind Toni. She didn't even wince at the commotion it made. They stayed idle on the ground for a moment, but once Toni grinned, they started to quiver. She chuckled softly, and the parts started to assemble themselves to form the Guard Armor. Sora kept his nerves under control as he stared up at the large Heartless before him.

"Have fun, Sky-boy…" she said in a flirtatious tone and blew him a kiss before disappearing, leaving Sora, Donald, and Goofy alone to face the Guard Armor.

"Let's go!" Sora yelled and charged the Heartless, Donald and Goofy right behind him.

Sora hid his broken heart as he slashed away at the legs of the Heartless, trying to immobilize it. Goofy took care of the arms, while Donald helped Sora with the other leg. Sora didn't know what Toni's plan was, but he realized the gravity of the consequences if he failed at stopping her. One leg down…

---

"So, you were looking for me?"

The trio of hero's stood in the First District near the world exit, obviously having beaten the Guard Armor. It wasn't easy, but they did it.

"Uh huh!" Donald and Goofy both nodded. Sora glanced at his Keyblade, which he had kept out in case they were taken off guard again.

"Duh, hey Sora! Why don'cha come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel!" Goofy said happily. Sora looked at the cheerfully dispositional dog-creature with a slight frown.

"I wonder…if I could find Riku and Kairi…" he said to himself, or so he thought. Donald heard and spoke up.

"Of course you can!"

Goofy leaned down and whispered to Donald. "Are you sure?"

"Who knows?" he whispered back. "But we need him to come with us to help find the King."

Sora sighed and looked at the animal duo.

"I guess I'll go..." He said, the frown still on his face. Donald put his hands on his hips and looked sternly up at Sora.

"But you CAN'T come like that! Understand? No frowning, no sad faces. Okay?"

"Duh, yea!" Goofy spoke up. "You good look funny, like us!"

"This boat runs on happy faces!" Donald said. Sora looked down to the ground and thought for a minute.

"Happy…?"

Silence passed over the trio as Sora thought. If he DID find Riku and Kairi and they didn't hate him, that would be good. He hoped with all his heart that they found out who Toni really was and abandoned her.

Suddenly, Sora looked up at Donald and Goofy with the most silly grin on his face that he could muster up. This was his version of complying with the 'boat runs on happy faces' rule. His smile fade, though, when he noticed Donald and Goofy just staring at him. A slight blush spread across his face as he fixed his posture.

"That's one funny face!" Goofy said as him and Donald broke out laughing. Sora smiled and rubbed his head.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys!" he said happily. Donald held out his hand, palm down.

"Donald Duck!"

"The name's Goofy!" Goofy put his hand on top of Donalds.

"And I'm Sora…"

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**Yay chapter 6 is over! I left out Leon and the others on purpose. Otherwise the story would be soooo much longer! I hope you enjoyed! Reviews make Newin happy! Oh, and if it seems like I'm rushing, I'm sorry. It's the way the older chapters were written. I'll try and add more detail in later chapters! Just trying to get things established :)**


	7. Shrouding Dark Cloud

**I started writing this chapter thinking it was chapter 6 :'D so it was halfway done! The wonderland part might seem really rushed and I apologize for that D: I wasn't feelin' it. Enjoy nonetheless!**

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Toni quietly entered the meeting chamber she was in earlier with Ansem. Gathered around the cauldron were seven figures, but Ansem wasn't one of them. The room grew quiet as her presence became known. The tallest member finally turned to look at her, her eyes bearing into her. Toni cleared her throat.

"You wanted to see me, Maleficent?" She asked in a smooth voice, trying to cover her frayed nerves. Maleficent smiled and turned her whole body to face her. The other members glued their eyes to Toni as well.

"Yes, darling. How did your mission go?" She asked cooly. Toni knew that she had been watching and she was in for a good lecturing. At least it wasn't a beating.

"It could have gone better, Mistress." Toni said, bowing to avoid eye contact. A few of the other members snickered as Maleficent just shook her head.

"I thought we had trained you better, Toni…that Heartless you threw at the boy was pitiful. He defeated it without even breaking a sweat. What do you have to say to yourself?" As she spoke, Maleficents voice got colder and colder, and her gaze turned to a menacing glare. Toni took a deep breath and lowered her head even more.

"I was playing with him, that's all." She lied. She was almost 100% sure she couldn't detect her lie, but you never knew with Maleficent. "I'll be sure to take care of him the next time we meet." She lied again. With all the lying she was doing, she should be an expert by now. But the fear of the punishment if she were caught always made her hesitate. One of the members snickered.

"You'd better! I could beat that pipsqueak with one arm tied behind my back!" he said with a laugh. Toni glared at the member that spoke from under her hair, but she bit her tongue. He would get what was coming to him. Maleficent walked slowly over to Toni and lifted her face to where she was looking up at her.

"See to it that you do, my dear. You don't want your Master to find out that you've been 'playing'."

Before Toni could respond, the doors opened, and in walked Riku. Toni and Maleficent both turned to the boy, Maleficent smiling and Toni frowning. She quickly walked over to Riku and linked her arm with his, whispering quickly in his ear as he did so.

"Get out of here!" she said urgently.

"Riku, my dear boy!" Maleficent said with a smile on her face and her arms open wide, as if she wanted a hug. Riku smiled at Toni and slid his arm around her waist. Toni, on the other hand, wanted to kick herself. She had to keep Riku as far from the darkness as she could. She didn't want him suffering the same fate as her…

"Maleficent, may I speak to my Prince?" She asked, but she didn't wait for an answer. She nearly dragged Riku out the room. Riku was startled, but he followed. Maleficent glared after the two. Something wasn't right here…

Toni dragged Riku to her own room and closed the door behind them. After making sure it was locked, she turned to Riku.

"You need to stay away from Maleficent, okay?" she almost ordered. Riku raised his eyebrow, confused.

"But…I thought—"

"Just trust me, okay?" Toni said, now pleading as she walked up to Riku and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Go too far into the darkness and you'll be consumed. I don't want to see that happen to you…"

Riku just stared at her, still confused.

"Toni…what's going on?" he asked. Toni got a pained look on her face. She kept a few things from Riku to protect him, but now she sees that maybe that wasn't the smartest move.

"You'll…you'll find out in time…I can't tell you now…" she said, looking away. Riku sighed and pulled Toni into a gentle embrace.

"Okay…whenever you're ready…I'll be here."

---

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had been flying on the Gummi Ship for what seemed like forever. Sora tiredly sat next to a window, looking out at the endless void of space, ignoring the constant fire of cannons as Donald took out the Heartless vessels that stood in their way. Toni's words kept replaying over and over in his mind. So he was making things harder for her…good. At least he knew he was making some progress in stopping her.

"Sora? You're bein' awfully quiet. You okay?" Goofy asked. Sora looked back at the dog and smile.

"Yea, just thinking."

"We're here!" Donald announced. "Prepare to land!"

Sora and Goofy stood up and walked to the exit of the ship, waiting for it to teleport them down to the world they had arrived at, Wonderland.

The trio floated down to the world, Sora and Donald landing on their feet and Goofy just landing. Sora laughed and looked around. Out of nowhere, a little white rabbit ran past the group, talking out loud to himself.

"I'm late! I'm late! Oh the queen, she'll have my head for sure!" He said over and over again. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at the talking rabbit for a while.

"Um…what are you late for?" Sora asked when the rabbit stopped to check his watch. In a panic, the rabbit took off again.

"No time to say hello. Good-bye! I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!"

The trio just watched as the rabbit ran off around the corner. Slowly, the three followed. They just barely saw the rabbit disappear beyond a door. Sora opened it, hoping to catch a glimpse of where he was headed, but he only saw another smaller door.

"What the…?" Sora repeated the process until finally he opened the smallest door, which was hardly big enough for his hand.

"How are we supposed to get through there?" Donald asked. Sora took a step forward and…shrunk. Ah, so THAT'S how it worked!

The trio came out the other side into a much too small room. They quickly scanned the room, looking for the rabbit. Sora spotted him going into another small door. He bent down to examine the door, Donald and Goofy behind him.

"How did he get so small?" Sora wondered out loud and took a closer look at said door.

"No, you're simply too big." The door said sleepily. The trio recoiled in shock. He could now add a talking door to his list of odd things he'd seen in the past few days.

"It talks!" Donald exclaimed. The doorknob yawned wide and looked up at the oversized heroes.

"Must you be so loud? You woke me up!" the doorknob said with a yawn again. Goofy smile and waved at the door.

"Good morning!" He said cheerfully. His kindness was returned with an irritated look.

"Good NIGHT! I need a bit more sleep…"

Sora panicked and reached out to try and keep the doorknob awake for a few more seconds.

"Wait! How do we get small!" he asked. The doorknob opened his eyes and looked up at him.

"Why don't you try the bottle…over there."

Sora and the team turned to see a table materialize in the middle of the room. On it were two bottles, one with a pink label and the other with an orange label. Sora stood up and walked half a step to the large table, lifting the orange bottle. He sniffed the strange substance inside and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, her goes nothing." He took a quick drink of the mystery liquid and blinked. Suddenly, all three of them started to shrink! Donald and Goofy didn't have to drink any! Sora gasped in surprise and closed his eyes, not really knowing what good that would do, but it was an automatic reaction. When he opened his eyes again, he was tiny! He looked around with a smile on his face. This Wonderland place seemed pretty fun!

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**Sorry it seems so short! Like I said, I wasn't feeling it. Anyway, Reviews make Newin happy! Look forward to chapter 8 soon!**


	8. Strange Whispers

**Yay I'm just pushing out the chapters now! I finally got my groove back! Wonderland was an okay world for me to write...there were definitely more fun worlds to write lol**

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After some exploring, Sora, Donald and Goofy finally found another way out of the strange room. After pushing in a bed, they found a hole in the wall. On the other side was the Queens Court. The trio stood back and observed a little blonde girl standing on a podium, looking nervous. A rather large woman sat at what Sora assumed was the judges seat. The little white rabbit from before ran through the middle of the area and ran up a small flight of stairs to his post. With a few quick breaths, he sounded his trumpet.

"Court is now in session!" He announced, exasperated. The girl looked surprised.

"I'm on trial? But why!" she asked innocently. The rabbit took a few more breaths and stood up straight, facing the fat woma.

"Her majesty, The Queen of Hearts, presiding!" his voice was now normal. The Queen looked down her round nose to the girl, a smirk on her face.

"Yes, this girl's the culprit. There's no doubt about it! And the reason is…because I said so!" She pointed her heart shaped scepter at the scared blonde.

"But that's so unfair!" The blonde replied, angry. The queen grinned and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, do you have anything to say in your defense?" she asked confidently. The girl put her hands on her hips.

"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong! You may be queen, but that doesn't give you the right to be so…so mean!"

"SILENCE!" The queen roared and leaned over her throne, her face turning a purplish red. "You DARE defy ME?!"

Sora and the gang watched the queen blame the girl for ridiculous things. Sora had to bite his tongue to keep from stepping up in the poor girl's defense. His face showed determination as the last straw of the proverbial camel broke.

"Hey guys, we should help her out…" he said quietly to his teammates. Donald shook his head and looked up at Sora.

"Yea, but the—"

"We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?" Goofy asked and scratched his head. Donald huffed, annoyed.

"Meddling!"

Goofy smile, having remembered. "Oh yea! And that's against the rules." He stated in 'as-a-matter-of-fact' way. Sora made a face and looked back to the ongoing trial. He just had to help. If he didn't, guilt would eat him up from the inside out.

"The court finds the defendant…" the queen paused for dramatic effect. "guilty as charged for the assault and attempted theft of my heart!" she finally yelled, then turned to her card minions. "Off with her head!

"No! No! Please!" The girl pleaded.

Sora gasped. The Heartless were here too! Then that must mean…

"Hold it right there!" He said and ran up to the defendants stand next to the scared girl. Donald and Goofy followed them, looking uneasy about butting in. The queen glared down at the spikey haired youth.

"Who are you! How DARE you interfere with my court!" she yelled. Sora rubbed his head and laughed nervously.

"Uh…excuse me, but I know who the real culprit is!"

"Uh huh! It's the Heartl—" Goofy stopped himself before he could say too much. Sora glanced at him quickly and returned his gaze back to the queen.

"Anyway, she's not the one you're looking for." He added. The queen looked down at Sora, thinking.

"That's nonsense." She finally said. "Have you any proof?" she added with a grin. Sora hesitated and looked to Donald and Goofy to help…as if they COULD help. The queen grinned and had her guards lock the blonde girl in a cage beside her throne.

"Bring me evidence of Alices' innocence! Fail, and it's off with ALL of your heads!" She ordered. "Gather as much or as little evidence as you please. Report back here when you're ready.

Sora nodded and glanced at Donald and Goofy before heading to the Lotus Forest to the west of the queens court. Little did they know, a pair of golden eyes were watching them from high up in the trees.

Sora liked the Lotus Forest. Even though it was 10 times too big, he still liked it. He put his hands in his pockets and started exploring the peaceful forest, Donald and Goofy close behind him. He knew the peace wouldn't last long, so he decided to take this time to enjoy it while he could. He stepped foot into a small area cut off by tall grass. At the back of the area were three large mushrooms, and on the tallest sat Toni in all her evil glory. Sora let out a growl and wasted no time in taking out his Keyblade. He could easily see a Heartless crest on her chest.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed. Toni chuckled and slid off the mushroom.

"Whatever I want! I am, after all, a princess!" she said in a haughty tone. Sora glared at her, but she just kept on grinning.

"Get out of here. I won't let you destroy another world." He almost ordered. Donald and Goofy stepped up beside Sora, readying their weapons. Toni just stared at the tree then…laughed. Sora looked at her funny, caught off guard.

"Wh…what—"

"Dear, dear Sora. What makes you so sure you can stop me?" she asked and crossed her arms across her chest, a smirk on her face. Sora's glare intensified as his grip tightened on his Keyblade. Toni scoffed at him.

"There's no use in fighting me, Sky-boy. You have NO idea how powerful I am…" she said in a flirtatious tone and stepped forward.

"I'll do whatever it takes, even if it means I have to give up my life!"

This statement took everyone off guard, even Toni. Her eyes grew wide and she obviously hesitated.

"Duh, Sora…that's going a bit too far." Goofy said, worried. Toni couldn't speak for a second. She wasn't expecting that from Sora. Well, in a way she was, but she didn't want to hear it. His wish might come true... finally, she mustered up a laugh.

"Yes, Sora, listen to the dog!" she said through more fake laughter. "I can't believe the King sent THEM to help you! Look at them! They're a talking duck and dog for heaven's sake!" more laughter. Donald growled and shot a Blizzard spell at her. Toni frowned and quickly blocked the spell with ease. She glared death at the daring duck and her eyes grew darker.

"If I were you, boys, I would stay out of things that you don't understand. Because," she looked at Sora and walked right up to him without a waver in her step, "you're playing with the big boys now. Here, if you lose, death awaits you." She hissed. Sora swung at her, but she nimbly dodge it and landed a square kick in his stomach, causing him to yelp and fall back. Without another world, Toni vanished in a cloud of black smoke. Donald and Goofy rushed to help the young Keyblade master. Once he was on his feet, Sora looked around frantically for Toni, wanting so bad to get her back for kicking him. When he realized she was gone, he signed and put away his Keyblade.

"Sora, are you okay…?" Goofy asked, worried once again about his new friend. Sora nodded and looked o the mushroom where Toni was once sitting. In her place was a single black rose with a Heartless crest on one of the petals. Did Sora really understand what was going on…?

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**Oh my! What a tweest! Well...kinda lol The next chapter is one of my favorites! Reviews make Newin happy!**


	9. Fragments of Sorrow

**I really liked this chapter for some reason...I guess because it flowed so smoothly for me lol or the fact that...well, I'll just let you read!**

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Toni quietly back into the palace, careful not to make even the slightest sound. She wasn't supposed to be out now due to a new plan her Sire and Mistress were cooking up. If they knew she had snuck out, she would be in worse trouble that she could even begin to imagine. She snuck past the council room, past her Sires chambers, and could see her own door. She was almost home free. She could see Riku now, waiting for her on her bed…

"Toni…" a cool voice came from the shadows, causing Toni to instantly freeze and pale. Her image of Riku was shattered and replaced with her punishment. "Where were you, dear?" Ansem stepped out of the shadows and slowly glided over to Toni, a frown on his handsome face. She turned to face him, her eyes averted to the floor.

"I…I went out to get some—"

Ansem backhanded her across the cheek before she could finish. Toni lost her balance for a split second, but quickly regained it. She looked up at Ansem, fear in her violet eyes. A small trickle of blood made its way down her cheek to her chin. Ansem grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her right against him, his face inches from her, lifting her feet completely off the ground

"What did I tell you to do before sunset?" he asked quietly. Toni took in a few shaky breaths, trying to calm her nerves.

"You said t-to stay in my room." She answered, trying to be strong. Ansem grinned and set her down, running one of his hands through her hair.

"And what did you do?" he asked in a quieter, almost soothing voice. Toni's muscles tensed up as she felt his fingers slide down the side of her neck.

"I snuck out…" she answered, her voice losing power. Ansem suddenly threw her across the hall and into the wall, cracking the marble. Toni felt her breath leave her and slid to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. Ansem walked briskly over to her and picked her up by her neck. Toni grabbed at his hand to try and get him to loosen his grip, but to no avail.

"You disobeyed me, Toni. Do you remember what happens when you do?" he spat, his grip tightening. Toni gasped for air as she kept struggling against his grip. Her legs dangled off the floor, and for the very first time in a long time, she was truly afraid. Ansem grinned and threw Toni to the ground. Before she could catch her breath, he kicked her in the side. She let out a cry of pain and curled up in a ball to protect herself from further assaults, a tear falling to the cold floor. Ansem looked up at the door to Toni's room and saw Riku standing there, shock all over his face. Ansem glared at him and walked slowly away, leaving Toni gasping for air and crying on the floor. Once Riku was sure Ansem was out of sight, he rushed over to the injured Toni and gently lifted her head onto his lap. Toni looked up at him, her violet eyes full of tears and pain. Riku got a pained expression as well and ran his fingers of the small cut on her cheek.

"You must have pissed him off big time…" he said softly. Toni nodded with a small smile.

"Yea…" she said in a raspy voice. With the help of Riku, she was on her feet and hobbled into her room, closing and locking the door behind her. Riku quickly laid her on the bed to let her catch her breath. Once she was sure she could breathe normally, and no ribs were broken, she sat up and held her head. Riku sat next to her on the edge of the bed, his hand gently stroking her hair.

"So what exactly did you do?" he asked, toying with her deep purple hair. Toni sighed and looked to the doors that led to her large balcony.

"I snuck out…"

Riku smiled and stood up, taking Toni with him. They walked to the balcony together and looked over the edge. Toni's eyes immediately went to the world entrance and exit of Hallow Bastion. She sighed again and leaned her elbows on the railing. Riku gently embraced her from behind and rested his head on hers.

"Tell your prince what's wrong…" he said in a soft voice. Toni smiled and leaned back against him. Riku just reminded her of her little fragment of light she still had. If all things went right, she'd be able to keep him and Sora forever, and she might be able to lead a normal life. She was so thankful she had Riku to keep her on track. If he weren't here, if she didn't have her own personal diary, she would lose track of why she was really here.

"We'll get through this together…" Riku said in almost a purr and gently kissed her cheek. Toni giggled and nodded.

"Yea…together…"

---

"Sora, are you sure you're okay?" Donald asked for the millionth time as him and Goofy stood back to let Sora take out his frustration on some poor Heartless that appeared after Toni vanished.

"I'm fine!" he answered for the millionth time and kept on attacking. Donald sighed and shot a fire spell at an oncoming Soldier. He knew Sora wasn't alright, and Sora knew they knew. Toni just made him so mad! And she kicked him really hard, too. He wasn't looking forward to seeing her again in the least! At least, half of him wasn't. The other half was always glad to see her alive and, well, kicking.

Sora and the gang went all over the Lotus Forest and collected all the evidence they could find. Once they were sure they collected it all, they headed back to the queens court and stood at the podium Alice stood at for her trial. One of the red cards beside the judge's bench spoke up.

"Are you ready to present your evidence before the Queen?" he asked. The three heroes nodded and set he evidence in front of the bench. The queen looked it over with a smug look then turned her attention to Sora.

"Well, that's quite a lot of evidence, but I'm still not impressed! Cards! Bring forth my evidence!" She commanded. Once of the cards stepped forward and set the queens evidence next to Sora's. He glanced questioningly at Donald and Goofy, wondering what she was doing.

"What?" He asked. The queen just smirked. "After all the trouble of collected it? I got kicked in the gut for nothing!" he fought. The queen shot a wicked glare at him and stood up.

"You DARE object?! Then you will lose your head! Now, choose one box!" she ordered. Sora glared right back at her, but didn't object further. He actually liked his head and needed it for things, like living. He stepped off the podium and looked over to the little boxes that lay before him. He glanced up at Alice briefly, who was leaning against the bars of her cage. He took a deep breath and finally chose a box.

"Is that your final choice?" The queen asked. Sora nodded and stepped back as a Heartless Soldier appeared. Almost as quick as it appeared, it vanished. The queen and her cards gasped, not knowing what the horrible creature was. Sora grinned and put his hand on his hip.

"There's your evidence. Alice is innocent!" he said proudly. The queen glared at him, then loked to a thrilled Alice. She returned her gaze back to Sora and stood up yet again.

"Silence! I'm the law here! Article 29: Anyone who defies the queen is guilty!" she stated rather loudly. Sora raised his eyebrow and looked back to Donald and Goofy.

"That's crazy!" Donald squawked, and Goofy nodded. The cage Alice was in suddenly rose to the top of the room as the queen shouted orders to her cards.

"Seize them at once!" she barked. Sora drew his Keyblade and got ready for action. A tower rose in the middle of the room with three crank wheels. A few cards turned the wheels while the others attacked.

"Cards!" The queen barked again. "If they touch that tower, you lose your heads!" she sat back down to watch the show, grinning. Sora was grinning as well as him, Donald, and Goofy attacked card after card and kept slashing away at the crank tower. After a few good minutes of fighting, the cage Alice was in fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sora rushed to the cage to see if Alice was okay, but when he got there, she was gone. Donald rubbed his head and looked up at the confused youth.

"I guess she got kidnapped while we were fighting…" he said, Goofy nodding along in agreement. The queen shook with anger and started shouting orders again.

"You fools! Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!" she shouted. Sora looked at his teammates, wondering what to do next.

"I guess we gotta look for Alice too." Goofy said. Sora nodded and proceeded to the Lotus Forest once again. Up in the trees, hidden from the eyes down below, was Riku with the unconscious Alice in his arms. He looked down at Sora for the longest time, then vanished.

The trio ventured deeper into the Lotus Forest until, finally, they came to a door that led to the Bizaar room. Only, THIS Bizaar room was upside down. Sora looked at the inverted room for a while, trying to keep his mind from turning on him. Donald took a few steps forward to see more of the room. In the center were two large pillars that looked like they were holding lamps. Sora walked over to them, letting Goofy and Donald handle the Heartless that appeared.

"To find the shadows, you must turn on the lights…" A voice echoed through the room…either that, or Sora was finally going crazy. It sounded a lot like Toni's voice, but he shrugged it off and touched the lamp, turning it on. He looked around the room, but saw no shadows.

"The other one, now, then you shall see…" Sora nodded and turned on the other lamp the same way. Donald and Goofy finished up with the Heartless and stood beside the pillar, looking up at him.

"Sora…?" Goofy asked. Sora shook his head and jumped off the pillar. "Now what?" Sora rubbed his head, waiting for the voice to tell him what to do next.

"Not sure…" he said quietly. Childish laughter filled the room, but Sora seemed to be the only one able to hear it.

"If I were you, Sky-Boy, I'd hurry and get to that doorknob. If you don't, this little world will go bye-bye!" that time, it was definitely Toni! Sora growled and turned to Donald and Goofy.

"We have to get to the doorknob, fast!" he said and took off, Donald and Goofy right behind him. In no time, they arrived in the correct-side-up Bizaar room to find it eerily quiet. Sora looked around the room for any sign of Toni or Heartless, Donald and Goofy helping too.

"Duh, Sora! Maybe we can get up on the table to get a better view." Goofy suggested. Sora nodded and jumped onto the large table in the middle of the room with the use of the large chair that accompanied it. Sitting on the edge near the large bottles was Toni. She sat with her legs hanging off the edge, facing away from the team. She was slouching and favoring her left side. Sora could tell she had been through some sort of hell. He grinned and strode to the middle of the table.

"Did someone have a bad day?" he asked in a mock-caring voice. Toni shot him a wicked glare and stood up, sucking up whatever pain she was in.

"Shut it, Sky –boy." She said in a loud voice. Sora snickered and crossed his arms across his chest, feeling cocky.

"Make me." He said with a wink, knowing Toni was weaker now than she would probably ever been in a very long time. Toni grinned and put all her weight on one leg, accentuating her already curvy hips. She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers. "This world will be overcome by darkness, just like that pathetic slice of a world you called home. I'll make sure of that." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, a large Heartless fell from the ceiling, the Trickmaster. The Trickmaster unfolded himself and flipped over the table. Sora whipped out his Keyblaed and kept his eyes glued to the new foe. The Trickmaster flipped and twirled his batons, also ready for a good fight. Toni suddenly appeared right in front of Sora and gently cupped his cheek, causing him to freeze up.

"Have fun , Sky-boy…" she said in a sensual voice and vanished. Sora growled in frustration and charged the Trickmaster, Donald and Goofy by his side.

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**In all honesty, I love beating up Toni for some reason! I don't know why, she's just so fun to abuse! Also, just random fact, she hates hurting Sora...she may not show it, but it kills her inside! I have to find a good place to insert plot tweest so you guys know what she's up to! Reviews make Newin happy!**


	10. No Time to Think

**Yay chapter 10! I don't really know what to say before this chapter, so enjoy!**

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Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared up at their very large enemy, wondering how in the world they were going to defeat it. The Trickmaster flipped and twirled his batons in the air and suddenly swung at the table, knocking it down, and sending Sora and company falling to the ground. Sora growled and landed nimbly on his feet, his eyes going straight back to the enemy before him.

"Donald, attack him from behind!" Sora ordered and went for his legs with Goofy. Unfortunately, his legs were immune to all kinds of attacks, causing Sora and Goofy to recoil. Donald was blasting away at the Trickmaster from behind, but wasn't getting anywhere either. Annoyed, the Trickmaster swung at the group, but luckily everyone got away in time. Sora looked up and quickly examined his enemy before having to dodge another attack. On a whim, he leaped up and slashed at the Trickmasters midsection. The Tricmkaster stumbled back slightly, and Sora grinned.

"Donald! Goofy! Go for his midsection!" he yelled and started slashing away, dodge attacks every now and again. Every directed their attacks where Sora was, hoping to defeat this guy quickly. He had better things to do than play with oversized paper dolls. He had to find Toni, and fast. He could already see in his mind, laughing as the world she was standing on fell apart at her feet. That was enough to get Sora's blood boiling.

Finally, Sora delivered the last blow to the Trickmaster that was more than enough to defeat it. The Trickmaster started to wither down to nothing right in front of the young hero and his new companions. A heart floated out from the remains and disappeared. Sora looked down at the fallen foe and sighed. That was hard, and he was sure this was just the beginning.

"What a racket…How's a doorknob supposed to get any sleep?" The doorknob spoke up and yawned. Sora and gang turned to see a keyhole in his mouth, glowing softly. All three moved in for a closer look. Suddenly, Sora's Keyblade started to pulsate.

"Whoa!" a thin beam of light shot from the tip of the Keyblade and into the keyhole. A definite click sounded through the Bizaar room. The trio stared at the doorknob for a while.

"What was that?" Donald asked. Sora shook his head.

"It sounded like something locked…" he muttered. The three stared more at the lock, waiting for something else to happen. A small gummi block fell from the doorknob and landed at Sora's feet. He picked it up, looked it over, and handed it to Goofy, who examined it more.

"This gummi ain't like the others, no sir!" he said and let Donald have a look at it.

"Okay, I'll hold on to it." He said and put it in a pocket of his vest. A slight noise behind the group made all three of them whirl around, their weapons readied. Toni appeared at the edge of the table, her legs crossed and her hands clapping. Sora glared up at her, but she just laughed.

"Very good! You took care of my Trickmaster in no time flat." She said with a grin. Sora took a step forward, ready to take her on himself, even after his whole ordeal with the Trickmaster.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded. Toni made a sad face and leaned her head on her hand.

"Aw, don't be so mean, Sora! I just wanted to say congratulations on locking your first world!" she jumped down from the table and landed in a fighting stance, her face suddenly menacing and cold. "Unfortunately, this will be the LAST world you lock…" she growled. Sora charged her, ignoring Donald, who was trying to stop him. Toni teleported away and reappeared a few feet away. Sora whirled around and glared at her. "You're messing everything up!" She yelled and tried to blast him with some sort of dark energy ball. Sora didn't bother to find out and barely managed to dodge it.

"Sora!" Donald tried to step forward, but Toni had put up some sort of force field around him and Goofy. All they could do was stand back and watch the two teens fight.

"You have NO idea how much trouble you're causing me!" she yelled louder and threw another blast at him. Sora blocked it and swung at her. Toni, though, caught the Keyblade and pulled Sora close. A loud hissing came from where her hands were touching the blade. "Stay out of this, Sora. This doesn't involve you or your pets!" Toni shouted and threw Sora away and vanished, along with the barrier around Donald and Goofy. They ran over to Sora to make sure he was okay. Luckily, he was, but his face looked darker than usual.

"Sora…?" Goofy asked. "Are you okay?"

Sora sighed and looked to his friend, a small smile on his face. The Keyblade vanished from his hand and he rubbed his head.

"Yea…"

"Good! Now, let's get back to the Gummi Ship!" Donald said, trying to get Sora to forget about what Toni had said. Sora nodded and the three hero's proceeded to their ship, hoping to find another world.

Sora sat near the window again, watching the Heartless ships and other things whiz by. His mind was clearly on what Toni had said in done in the past few days. She was dead serious about her mission. She seemed to have no reservations about what she'd done to him, what she was doing. It still hurt him deeply to think about that. His once best friend now turned against him. Worse, she was willing to kill him. Though, earlier, he could have sworn he heard a tinge of regret in her voice. Maybe it was just his hopeful thoughts.

"Sora?" Goofy asked, drawing Sora out of his thoughts. He looked lazily over at his friend, his head propped up by his hand.

"Yea?"

"You sure you're okay. That Toni lady said some awful scary things back there and I just wanted to make sure—"

Sora smiled and pat Goofy on the shoulder. "I'm fine, really. I was just thinking, is all." He said reassuringly. Goofy smiled back.

"Hayuk! Well that's good! But, remember what Donald said! No frowning, and no sad faces!" he reminded Sora with a caring smile. Sora smiled back and watched him walk off to check with Donald about their exact location. Sora sighed and looked back out the window.

"No sad faces…"

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**Aw, poor Sora...he misses Toni, but he doesn't know she misses him too! The beginning of next chapter will proove that :3 Reviews make Newin happy!**


	11. An Intense Situation

**Chapter 11, start of the Olympus Coliseum! :D the beginning show just how much Sora means to Toni...even if she doesn't show it all the time~ I actually liked this chapter for some odd reason...hmm...enjoy!**

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Toni burst into the castle at Hallow Bastion, a mixture of rage and pain in her eyes. She pushed through a couple of shadowed figures, glowering at them as they hissed and glared at her. She didn't even stop to throw insults at them for being in her way. Then again, even though she was a Princess, she ranked lower than them. If she did or said anything cross to them, she'd have to pay dearly.

Riku heard the commotion from inside Toni's room. He stepped outside the room and watched Toni storm down the hall. He could tell by the color of her eyes that she was extremely upset.

"Hey! What—"

Before Riku could even get the question out of his mouth, Toni shoved him into the room, slammed the door and gave Riku a VERY serious look.

"Make. Him. STOP!" She yelled, close to tears. Riku stared at her blankly, wondering what the hell she was talking about. "He's your friend, right?" She asked, her voice quieter. Riku blinked a few times, still lost. Toni's face didn't help him think any faster.

"…Sora?" He finally said. Toni nodded slowly. Riku sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "There's nothing I can do about him, babe." He added with a shrug. He knew that was a mistake to tell her, but oh well.

"There has to be SOEMETHING!" she pleaded. Riku got a pained look of his own.

"Toni…he's Sora! You gotta remember that. He does what he thinks is right and won't stop until he's righted every wrong he sees."

In the middle of the sentence, Toni decided to pace, her boots making sharp clicking noises on the hard floor. Riku sighed again and grabbed her shoulders to keep her still. Toni looked up at him with a 'let me go or I'll throw you out the window' look. Riku smiled softly and pulled her in close to him.

"Don't worry…Sora may be slow, but he still gets things, even if it takes a while…" he said softly. Toni's threatening look gave way to the pained look she entered the room in. She slid her arms aroud Riku's waist and held on tight.

"Yea…it's just—"

The door to Toni's room suddenly flew open to reveal a very angry Maleficent. Riku quickly let go of Toni and turned to her. Toni looked away, her eyes going straight to the ground and her hand clutching the hem of Riku's shirt for dear life. She knew what was coming…

"Riku, my dear boy…" Maleficent said sweetly, causing Toni to shiver. Riku glanced at Toni before walking over to Maleficent.

"Yea?"

"I would like to talk to you about another mission. Would you care to join me?" she offered Riku her arm with a smile. Riku quickly glanced at Toni again.

"Sure…" he gave Toni a small kiss and smiled at her. "See you later, babe…" he whispered and walked away with Maleficent down the hall, leaving Toni all alone to face her internal battles on her own. She slowly closed the door behind the two after they left and turned to look out the big bay windows of her room. It was a full moon, she thought to herself. She slowly walked over to the doors that led to her balcony and opened them. The night outside was crisp and clear. She walked over to the edge of the balcony, again fighting off tears. It was getting harder and harder to fight with Sora. She wanted nothing more than to hide him away while she worked out her own plan. She couldn't let him know of it though, which was the part that killed her. She furiously wiped the tears from her eyes before leaning on the stone railing. She looked up to the stars and sighed.

"Why do you have to be a hero, Sky-Boy…?"

---

Sora and his friends flew to the next world on the map, the Olympus Coliseum. From far away, it looked like a pile of sand with a stick building on it. Up close, Sora could make out the Parthenon on top of a pile of sand. Him and Goofy stared in awe as Donald brought the Gummi Ship in for landing. By the looks of this world, Toni wasn't going to be here. At least, that's what Sora hoped.

"Okay! Get ready to disembark!" Donald announced. Once the group landed, they stood around the entrance for the longest time, taking in the wonderful Greek décor. For some reason, it seemed familiar to him. Maybe something he saw in a book or movie…he wasn't sure.

Once they were done sightseeing, the group headed for the set of double doors that led to a lobby. At the back of the room was a fat goat-man standing on a stool and fixing a sign. The three just stared, not knowing what to think. Sora finally stepped up.

"Um…"

"Good timing." The goat creature spoke up, not turning around. "Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce things up for the games." He waved his stubby arm at the very large pedestal on the right side of the room. Sora, Donald, and Goofy stared at the pedestal, then each other. Sora shrugged and decided to give it his best shot. He knew it wouldn't budge, but he might as well try. Of course, after a good while of pushing, the huge chunk of stone didn't move an inch, even after Donald and Goofy helped. Sora huffed and looked at the goat man.

"It's way too heavy!" He said and leaned against the pedestal. The goat perked up.

"What? Too heavy? Since when are you such a little—" he turned around to the group and stopped once his eyes landed on Sora, who obviously wasn't who he was expecting. "Oh…wrong guy." He said and jumped off his stool and pointed at Sora. "What are you doing here?" he then turned his attention to Donald. "This here's the world famous Coliseum! Heroes only! And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks!"

Sora glared at the mini goat creature, obviously not amused by his attempts to intimidate him and his friends out of the lobby. Him and Donald refused to move. Goofy, on the other hand, looked a little lost. The goat man sighed when he saw their faces and rubbed his stubby chin.

"Look, it's like this." He started. "Heroes come from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum!"

Donald puffed out his chest and crossed his arms across it. Sora glanced down at the duck, knowing the goat had another thing coming to him.

"You've got heroes right here in front of you!" Donald almost yelled, glaring at the goat, who just stared right back. Goofy pat Sora on the back and beamed down at the goat.

"Yup! He's a real hero chosen by the Keyblade!"

Sora grinned at Goofy, happy to have found him and Donald.

"And we're heroes too!" Donald added. The goat stared at the three, just soaking it all in. He then suddenly burst into laughter, his huge gut jiggling. Sora glared at him and took a step forward, straining against Goofy, who was holding him back.

"What's so funny?! I've fought a bunch of monsters!" He snapped. He had BETTER be considered a hero after all the hell we had been through in under a week. The goat looked up at Sora, then walked over to the pedestal and braced himself against it, ready to push.

"Hey, if you can't even move this…" he said, giving a mighty push…that did nothing. "then you can't call yourself a hero!" the poor thing kept trying and trying, getting no results. Sora crossed his arms over his chest, a smirk forming on his face. Finally, the goat gave up.

"Okay…" he panted. "so it takes more than brawn. Well, let's see what you can do. Now, the trials I arranged are tough. You think you got what it takes?"

Sora grinned and took out his Keyblade.

"Ready as I'll ever be!" He answered confidently. The goat nodded and lead Sora into the arena, making Donald and Goofy stand by to watch on the sidelines. Placed in the center of the arena were many platforms, all with barrels on them. Sora eyed them, trying to figure out how to take them all out in the shortest time.

Ever since the battle on his island, Sora could feel himself growing stronger. He didn't know if it was the constant fighting, or his drive to stop his ex-best friend, but whatever it was, it was working. This task would be yet another step to becoming strong, and smart, enough to beat Toni.

Sora smashed through the barrels quickly, with plenty of time to spare. He sauntered over to his trainer, a grin on his face. He was met with a chuckle.

"You know, you ain't bad, kid…" he said. Sora smiled wide and Donald and Goofy joined him, cheering.

"Looks like I'm headed for the games!" he said confidently.

"Afraid not."

Pop! That was the sound of Sora's happy bubble popping. Sora took a step forward, his confidence completely gone, now replaced with anger and disappointment.

"What?! Why not?!" he asked, his fists clenched. The goat held up two fingers.

"Two words: you guys ain't heroes!" he said. Goofy kept count on his own fingers, and found that they didn't add up. Sora groaned and glared down at the goat.

"Come on!"

The goat chuckled and gave Sora a sly look.

"You wanna be a hero? Then start by mastering the thunder spell…" he said and went back to fixing up the lobby for the games. Sora suddenly felt a new power within him, an electrifying power. He shot he goat thing one last look before him and his friends headed back to the front entrances to the world. If Sora wasn't a hero, then what was he..?

"Rather stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" came a smooth voice from the shadows. Sora, Donald and Goofy turned to see an unfamiliar person slowly making their way over to them. Donald went on the defense, readying his staff.

"Who are you?" he demanded. The man-being laughed and put up his hands to show that he meant no harm. A lie if there ever was one, but the three heroes didn't know that.

"Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Wait, lemme guess. You want to enter the games, right?" he asked, a grin on his face. Sora looked at him funny, but he quickly moved to his other side, his cool arm around his shoulder. "Well then ,hey, get a load of this!" the man held out his hand and an Entry Pass appeared. Sora, Donald and Goofy stared at the slip of paper, wide-eyed, ignoring the bad feeling they were getting from the shady character.

"A…pass?" Sora asked, taking the paper from the mans hand. The man smiled an evil smile.

"It's al yours. Good luck, kid. I'm pulling for ya, little shorty…" and with that, he returned to the shadows, watching the three quickly race back to the lobby. Unknown to him, he wasn't alone in the shadows.

"So, trying to do my job, Hades?" Toni asked, her arms across her chest. Her golden eyes pierced the shadows and bore holes into Hades. He shrugged her off with a grin.

"Just following orders, babe."

"Don't call me babe like you know me." Toni spat, stepping up to stand in front of Hades. He looked her up and down, not really sure she should be talking to him like that. He was twice her size, and easily outranked her.

"Fine then, have it your way, your highness…" he said, sarcasm dripping from every letter of every word. Toni glared wickedly at him, her fists clenched.

"What did Maleficent tell you to do to the boy?" She demanded. Hades hair got a tint of orange as his temper flared up.

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"Sire wants o know. It's of no use to me." She said and pretended to examine her perfectly manicured nails. Hades chuckled and slinked his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, if your Sire MUST know, I was ordered to…oh, how shall I put this?...dispose of the little brat."

Toni pushed away from Hades, disgusted at the would even think of touching her.

"You can take care of that Hercules you're so obsessed with. Sky-boy is mine to take care of. If anyone 'disposes' of him, it will be me."

* * *

**So, why exactly can't Toni just hide Sora away? Well, that, my friends, is a secret mwahaha! Don't worry though~ it shall soon become clear! Oh boy, Hades and Toni are gonna throw Sora for a doozy! Or ARE they?! Reviews make Newin happy!**


	12. Road to a Hero

**Yay Sora can get into the games! But what surprises lurk in the shadows for him? Enjoy!**

* * *

Sora and the gang rushed to the lobby and happily showed the goat the pass. He stared at it, his eyes wide in disbelief. Sora just stood in front of him, grinning from ear to ear. Now he could prove that he was a real hero!

"How'd you get this?" the goat finally asked, eyeing Sora and his group suspiciously. Sora just kept grinning, his eyes shining with excitement.

"Can we enter the games now?" he asked, completely avoiding the question. The goat scratched his head, still wondering where they came up with a pass so quickly, and how. He sighed and looked up at the eager young hero-to-be.

"Well…I guess so. We start with the preliminaries. You ready for them?" he asked, knowing that it was a stupid question. Sora nodded excitedly and took out his Keyblade as the goat led them into the arena. It was official, Sora was stoked.

"Some real weirdoes signed up for the games. Better watch yourself." He warned the young teen as him and his teammates stepped onto the platform. Sora, of course, didn't hear the warning. He was too busy focusing on winning. The goat signaled the start of the first round, and a few Heartless appeared. Sora and gang quickly took care of them, not even breaking a sweat. The goat watched them, secretly amazed a the little guys strength and speed. After the first round, Sora shot a victorious grin at his trainer, waiting for the next round. The goat smirked and rubbed his chin.

"You're no heroes yet, but you ain't doing bad. Luckily you came to me for coaching!" he was about to signal the start of the second round when a tall blonde haired blue eyed swordsman walked slowly past Sora, their eyes locking instantly. The blonde stranger slowly walked to the back of the arena in the waiting area, not taking his eyes off of Sora almost the whole time. Sora could tell that he would be a challenge.

"Something tells me he's going to be a tough one to beat." The goat said, echoing Sora's thoughts. "Who knows, maybe you'll end up facing him…" and with that, he signaled the start of the second round. More Heartless appeared and Sora took care of them yet again with ease. The third round quickly followed, and yet again, Sora and company rose victorious. The goat smirked again and leaned against a pillar.

"Say, you're better than I thought, kid! Wish he was here to see this…" he said the last part in almost a wish. Sora walked over to his coach, confused.

"Who?" he asked. The goat looked up at him with a smile on his face.

"Hercules! He's a hero if there ever was one! Too bad he's off visiting his father…anyway, let's get back to the arena for round four!" he said. Sora quickly went back to onto the battle platform and fought all the way through round four and five, having difficulty on the fifth round. After all the enemies were vanquished, Sora and the other celebrated for making it this face.

Off in the waiting corridor at the back of the arena, covered in shadow, stood Hades with the young blonde man from earlier. Hades was glowering at Sora as he spoke to the mystery swordsman.

"That little punk is your next opponent, okay? Now, don't blow it. Just take him out!" he said and threw a few punches at the air. The man smirked and looked to Hades.

"The great God of the Underworld is afraid of a kid? Sorry, but my contract says—"

"I know! You think I don't know?! I wrote the contract!" Hades snapped, his blue flaming hair going orange for a split second. He cooled down after a moment and smoothed his hair back. "I know it says you're only required to kill Hercules in this tournament. But you gotta fight this kid to get to him. Besides, I have other orders…" Hades glanced at the man, who was staring at him with a raised eyebrow. Hades smiled slyly and slinked an arm around the man's shoulders, all buddy-buddy like. "Come on. Hey, it's like that old goat says: Rule Number 11: it's just a game, so let loose and have fun with it! I man, a casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?"

"Hades, if you don't mind, I'd like a word with Mr. Cloud." Came an icy voice from deep in the shadows. Cloud tensed up as Hades groaned.

"Geeze, why can't you let me have my fun?" he yelled into the darkness. Toni stepped forward, her eyes colder than ice as her arms crossed across her chest.

"Now." She ordered. Hades muttered something under his breath and reluctantly walked away, deeper into the shadows. Cloud looked at the little violet headed girl, surprised that she was actually able to order Hades around. Toni grinned at Cloud and slowly walked over to him, her boots making soft clicking noises on the stone ground.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Toni, Princess of Darkness. I understand that Hades was giving you an order to take someone out." She said and leaned against the wall next to the young swordsman. He looked down at her, not willing to give up any information.

"What's it to you?" he asked. Toni laughed lightly and moved in front of Cloud, her golden eyes meeting with his sapphire ones. For a moment, she was reminded of Sora…

"I only ask this because if he DID tell you, he was disobeying orders from someone ranking much higher than himself. If you go through with it, you'll be in great danger." She said and looked over her black painted nails Cloud blinked a few times, wondering if this chick really believed she could harm him. He looked off to the area where Sora, Donald, and Goofy were still fighting.

"Sorry, but I have a contract…" he said and started to leave. Toni quickly grabbed his arm with a fierce grip. She pushed him back against his wall, standing almost right against him.

"Forget the contract for a second, huh cutie?" she asked in a sensual voice. "Whatever Hades promised you, I can give you tenfold. All you have to do is not kill Sora, and you'll be sitting pretty…" she said with a grin.

Cloud stared down at the daring teen. This Sora sure was important. He thought about it long and hard, staring down into the golden eyes that were fixed on him. Finally, he gave her a slight nod and walked off to face Sora. Toni grinned and crossed her arms over her chest again. Hades came back and shot her a wicked glare. Toni just winked at him and vanished.

Could and Sora stood on the battle platform, facing each other. The goat signaled the start of battle, and Cloud immediately charged. Sora had a very difficult time keeping out of his broad swords reach and landing blows. But he kept on going with the help of Donald and Goofy, who distracted the swordsman long enough for Sora to land a few critical blows. If he beat Cloud, he'd be one step closer step closer to defeating Toni. Too bad he didn't know Cloud was going easy on him.

Sora delivered what he thought was the final blow, sending Cloud to his knees and his sword clamoring to the ground. Cloud looked up at Sora with a calm expression. Sora just grinned and rested his Keyblade on his shoulder. Suddenly, a loud roar filled the Coliseum. Cloud turned around to see what the roar was, but the source stepped on him with a giant paw, knocking him out cold. The owner of the paw was none other than Cerberus, guardian of the underworld. His three heads let out another monstrous roar as Sora and company stared up in awe at the giant beast. Hades was in the dark corridor, chuckling evilly to himself.

"Oh, right, there was one other rule I forgot: accidents happen." With that, he walked away to let Sora be eaten by the large three headed dog that stepped on poor cloud. Cerberus reared his heads back and was about to have Keyblade Master with duck sauce and a side of dog for lunch, but he was held back by a very well built man in a skirt, the ever famous Hercules! He grunted slightly as he fought to keep the giant dog lifted off of Cloud and away from the three heroes.

"Herc!" the goat cried out and stepped forward.

"Phil!" Hercules called to the goat. "Get them outta here!" he yelled. Phil wasted no time in dragging the young heroes into the lobby for safety. Once safe, Phil leaned against the wall, panting.

"Phew! That was close! That was Cerberus, Guardian of the Underworld. Herc should be able to handle him. But then again, maybe not…this doesn't look good." He said, worried. Sora looked at the hallway that lead to the arena, thinking. Phil saw his face and moved to stand in her way.

"Kid, you're not entering that arena, are ya?" he asked, surprised. "This ain't some match, this is for real!" he said. Sora took out his Keyblade, determination written all over his face.

"I'm not afraid. You can decide if I'm hero material or not." He said. Donald and Goofy looked worriedly at Sora, but stood by him nonetheless. Phil sighed and stepped aside.

"Careful kid…" he muttered as Sora and his friends rushed into the arena to help Hercules, who was backed up against a wall, the unconscious Cloud slung over his shoulder. Cerberus was grinning down at his prey until he heard Sora, Donald and Goofy's footsteps behind him. All three of his heads turned to face the advancing young hero, giving Hercules the opportunity to get away safely. Cerberus was about to sent a mighty blast from his mouth hurtling towards Sora and company, but a giant blast of dark energy stopped him, hitting the beast square in the head. Cerberus yelped and growled at his assailant. Standing at the back of the arena was Toni, and she looked pissed.

"Damn that Hades…" she growled and glanced at Sora. "This doesn't mean we're not enemies, Sky-boy!" she yelled and readied another blast. Sora just stared at her, dumbstruck. Toni was actually…helping him? She threw the blast at Cerberus, making a direct hit to his side. Cerberus roared angrily and swatted at Toni with his paw. She nimbly jumped out of the way, landing next to the still speechless Sora. She quickly smacked him on the back of the head and put her hands on her hips.

"Don't just stand there, stupid! Help me fight him!" she nearly yelled and charged Cerberus, another blast forming in her hands. Sora chuckled and just shook his head. Maybe the Toni he knew from his island was still inside the Toni he was now fighting alongside of. At least, that's what he hoped…

* * *

**Look look! Toni's HELPING Sora! Though the main reason is because Hades pissed her off :'D Next chapter should be coming very soon~ Reviews make Newin happy!  
**


	13. Precious Stars in the Sky

**WOO! Toni and Sora worked together! How well did it go? Well, read to find out! :D**

* * *

"Thus, do I herby dub thee Junior Heroes, and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games." Phil stated, standing on a pedestal and reading from and old scroll. Hercules was behind him, his arms crossed and smiling at Sora and his group. Obviously they had been victorious against the large guard dog of the Underworld. Sora had to admit that he couldn't have done it without Toni helping him. He wanted to thank her, but she vanished after the battle, looking angrier than ever.

"Further—" Phil tried to continue, but was cut off.

"Hey! What do you mean 'junior heroes'?" Donald asked angrily, crossing his arms across his chest. Phil looked over the scroll at the duck.

"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true her." He said rather flatly. Goofy thought for a while, taking in what Phil had said.

"So, what does it take?" he asked. Hercules smiled at the dog.

"That's something you'll have to find out for yourselves. Just the way I did." He said. Sora jabbed his thumb into his chest, a cocky grin on his face.

"No problem! We'll start by proving ourselves in the games!" he said excitedly. Donald and Goofy nodded. Phil just shook his ead.

"There ain't gonna be any games for a while. Gotta clean up the mess from the last battle first." He said and motioned to the corridor that lead to the nearly demolished arena. Sora sighed and rubbed his head.

"Okay, we'll be back." He said as him, Donald, and Goofy left the lobby. Phil and Hercules watched them leave. Phil shook his head and chuckled.

"I still can't believe that squirt actually beat Cerberus…" he said with a laugh. Hercules laughed with him and pat him on the shoulder.

"Actually, some strange girl helped him out. She had these odd attacks, nothing like I'd ever seen before…" he said and went into thought, replaying the whole scene in his head again. Phil looked up at him, confused.

"A…girl?"

Outside, Sora and the gang ran into Cloud, who was sitting on the steps near the world exit. His eyes were on the ground and his chin was resting on his hands. He seemed to be in deep thought, so Sora approached him slowly.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked and stood in front of the swordsman. Cloud didn't look up. Instead, his eyes shifted slightly to the right, away from Sora.

"Yea…" he muttered. Sora rubbed his head and looked away as well.

"I…saw you talking with Toni…that girl." He said, his eyes going back to the blonde, who looked up at him. "What did she tell you?" he asked. Cloud smirked and shook his head.

"She told me to break a contract I had made with Hades. I guess you could say I tried to exploit the powers of darkness, but it backfired." He stood up, his eyes moving away from Sora again. "I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light." He said with a sigh. Sora smiled softly.

"You'll find your light. I'm searching for mine too." He said and looked away, feeling bad about lying about what he was really searching for, mainly because he didn't know himself. He knew he was looking for his friends, but he could feel something else out there that he just had to find.

"For your light?" Cloud asked. After a while, he slowly started to walk away. Sora called after him before he got too far.

"How about a rematch sometime?" he asked with a smile. Cloud stopped to listen to Sora's request. "Fair and square. No darkness involved."

Cloud smirked and turned his head to Sora, smoothing back a stray clump of hair from his eyes.

"I think I'll pass…" he said coolly and walked off. Sora watched him go, and once he was out of sight, him and his friends left the world, heading to the next one.

After sunset, Hades appeared, staring at a small image of Hercules in his hand.

"He's strong, he's kind. He's always there for you, and he's handsome to boot. He's perfect, perfect! Perfectly infuriating! He makes me crazy!" Hades blue flame hair turned orange and his body turned red as the image of Hercules went up in flames in his hands. He cooled down slightly, his hair turning back to normal and his skin returning to its normal bluish hue. "Wait a minute. What are you talking about? All the pieces are in place. Relax. Here's what you do. Let Hercules train the kid. In the next games, I'll take care of them both."

Hades eyes suddenly shifted to the side and his face twisted into an ugly glare. Behind him stood Maleficent, a snotty look on her face as she watched Hades talked to himself.

"Who invited you to the party? Stay out of this. This is my show?" Hades growled. Maleficent smirked and took a few steps towards him.

"As you wish. Fight to your heart's content. But," she said as she walked up next to Hades. "It seems that our little Princess of Darkness has vanished, and her prince knows not of where she is. Have you seen her?" she asked. Hades glared at her.

"What do I look like, a babysitter?!" He snapped. Maleficent gave him a stern look, and Hades sighed.

"Yea, I saw her. She told me I was disobeying orders about taking the pipsqueak out. She even took away my pawn!" he threw his arms up in the air, his hair taking on a slight orange tint. "Where does she get off, ordering me around and messing up my plans?!" he yelled, working himself into a frenzy again. He suddenly felt an even greater rage radiate from Maleficent behind him. He turned slowly to face her, a grin on his face. "Hit her good for me, too…" he said evily.

---

Maleficent slowly walked through the castle at Hallow Bastion. She still had a glare on her face as she slowly looked in each and every nook and cranny she could find for any sign of Toni. Sor far, she hadn't seen her nor heard anything about her whereabouts. Unknown to Maleficent, Toni and Riku were hiding in the library.

Maleficent turned into a large, dark room. In one corner was a large desk with papers strewn about. On the wall opposite the desk was a large king sized bed. Sitting in a plush looking chair next to a beautiful redwood bookcase was Ansem. He looked up and smiled at Maleficent.

"I have some bad news about your little princess." She said in a cold voice. Ansem's smile quickly faded as he stood up and closed his book.

"What kind of bad news?" he asked, his eyes taking on an evil sort of look. Maleficent grinned a the thought of Toni being punished for her misbehavior.

"It seems that she disobeyed orders and went after the boy herself. She even went as far as ordering around a council member." Before Maleficent was even finished, Ansem stormed out of the room, his eyes fixed in a death glare. Oh, Toni was in for it big time.

Meanwhile, in the library, Riku and Toni sat on the floor, hidden in the maze of bookcases. Toni sat in Riku's lap, snuggled up close against his chest and reading some old looking papers while Riku leaned back against the bookshelf, his eyes closed in a light sleep. He stayed like that for a while until Toni shuffled the papers around. He opened his eyes again and laid his head on her shoulder, slinking his arms around her waist.

"Having fun?" he asked as she kept on reading. Toni nodded absently, absorbed in the papers she was reading. At the top, Ansem Report was written in beautiful calligraphy. She had found them in Ansems study while she was snooping around the other day. A loud bang echoed through the large library, startling Riku and Toni. Toni quickly shoved the stolen reports in the nearest book and crammed it to the back of a bookshelf. Riku became quite attentive, his grip tightening on his princess. Ansem appeared around the corner, his hands behind his back and his face fixed into the most serious look Toni had ever seen. She recoiled slightly, gripping Riku's shirt tightly. Riku's own grip tightened, getting an incredibly bad feeling.

"Toni, my dear…" Ansem said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "May I talk to you alone for a while?" he asked. Toni glanced at Riku, who showed no sign of wanting to let go. Ansem to a deep breath to keep himself from yelling. "Now, Toni." He said sternly. Toni quickly stood up and walked over to Ansem. He put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of the library, leaving Riku to worry as he watched them walk away.

Outside the library, Ansem threw Toni into a pillar. She quickly caught herself and turned to him, surprised. She was greeted with a hard slap to the face.

"What the HELL were you thinking, disobeying orders!?" he yelled. Toni held her cheek and looked up at Ansem, terrified. How did he find out? Before Toni could respond, Ansem punched her in the other cheek, sending her reeling to the ground. He picked her up by the hair and slammed her against the wall, pinning her arms above her head with one hand, and the other around her neck.

"ANSWER ME!" He roared. Toni whimpered as she struggled against his grip, trying to get him to let go, but instead, his grip tightened.

"Ah—"

"I thought I taught you better!" Ansem roared again, his grip getting tighter and tighter. Tears formed in Toni's eyes and fell like rain down her cheeks. "I thought all the beatings had taught you never to disobey me! But I was wrong. Maybe you LIKE the beatings. You love having me abuse you, don't you girl?" he said, a twisted grin forming on his face as he moved to whisper in her ear. Toni kept struggling against his grip, trying to get at least one small gasp of air. Her tears kept flowing down her cheeks, chin and neck, soaking Ansems glove around her neck.

"Tonight," Ansem continued. "you're going to get the beating of a lifetime, my dear Toni." He whispered in her ear before letting her drop to the ground. Toni slumped to the floor, gasping and coughing, trying to fill her starved lungs as fast as she could. Ansem kneeled down and lifted her chin to where his golden eyes were locked with her violet, tear filled ones. "Or, maybe you want something besides the beating." He said, that sick and twisted grin still on his handsome face. "Maybe you want your other form of punishment. Lucky for you, I'm feeling rather generous." Toni tried with all her might to stop the tears that kept flowing freely from her eyes, but it was no use. She had never in her entire life been as scared as she was now. Ansem chuckled and gently wiped a tear from her cheek. Toni closed her eyes tight, suppressing a sob.

"Don't cry, my dear…" he said and pulled her to her feet by her wrists. He pulled her into a gentle embrace and softly kissed the top of her head. Toni bit her lip and held up her hands to try and put distance between her and her assailant as he held her. "You should have known your actions came with consequences." He said softly and led her down the hall to his quarters.

Toni couldn't take much more of this. She was so close to breaking she was beginning to doubt her plan was even worth it. She was so close to just taking her Prince and running away from this cold, dark place. Somewhere warm, where she could live in peace and, for once, live in the light.

---

Donald piloted the Gummi Ship to the next world, the Deep Jungle. Sora sat in the passenger seat this time, Goofy standing between him and the pilot seat. As they approached the tree covered world, Donald got a look of distaste on his face.

"Hey, Donald." Goofy said, pointing to the world before them. "Maybe King Mickey's down there."

"In a backwater place like that? No way!" Donald spat and was about to turn the ship away, but Sora grabbed the controls.

"Hold on! Riku and Kairi might be down there!" he said. That wasn't the only reason he wanted to land. He had to save this world from Toni as well.

"Forget it! We're on an important mission!" Donald tried to get Sora to let go of the controls, but the young teen wouldn't relent. Sora got an aggravated look on his face.

"Just land!" He nearly yelled. Goofy tried to intervene, but he was quickly pushed right back out of the situation. Donald and Sora kept on bickering.

"No!"

"Come on!" Sora pleaded. Donald shook his head and kept a firm grip on the controls. Sora growled and put his hand over the landing gear button.

"We're landing!" He ordered and pushed the button before Donald could stop him.

"Don't touch that!" Donald yelled all too late. The Gummi Ship spiraled out of control and plummeted to the world below, expelling the three heroes .

Sora braced himself as he fell towards a large tree house. He fell through the roof and landed on the floor, pieces of wood from the roof raining down on him. He groaned and slowly sat up, rubbing his head.

"Owww…my head…" once the stars cleared from his eyes, he looked around for any sign of his friends.

"Donald…? Goofy…?" he called and slowly started to stand up, moving slowly to make sure nothing was broken. Luckily, all he had were a few bruises and scrapes. A deep, low growl came from the loft in the large tree house. Sora quickly pulled out his Keyblade and was about to call out for Toni to show herself, but instead of Toni, a leopard leaped from the loft and landed right in front of Sora, his teeth barred. The large cat let out another low growl as he eyed Sora, who took a step back, not expecting the over-grown kitty cat. Now was one of the very few times when he wished it was Toni instead.

* * *

**I have NO idea why, but I love abusing Toni! Yea, she got in sooo much trouble, and this wont be the last time~ D: The things she does for Sora, geeze...and if you haven't realized yet, yes, Toni is falling for the Keyblade master! What a tweest! Reviews make Newin happy :3**


	14. Having a Wild Time

**So, what exactly happened to Toni? Well, you'll have to read to find out~ :D and how does Sora fare against Sabor? Deep Jungle is a very interesting world in this story. Toni's not so much of a bitch to Sora! Then again...oh, just read to find out!**

* * *

Sora and the over-grown cat stared each other down for a while. Sora had a mixed look of fear and determination on his face. He wasn't going to let some cat stop him from saving the world and getting his friends back, even if it had razor sharp claws and teeth, incredible speed, and a death glare to rival Toni's. Nope, Sora definitely wasn't going let that stop him…

Sabor leapt at Sora, his teeth barred and a ferocious roar escaping from his throat. Sora quickly rolled to the side and whacked the cat in the side a few times. Sabor swatted at the Keyblade, then turned his claws on the boy behind the Keyblade. Sora shouted and hit the leopard hard in the jaw when his claws came in contact with his exposed arm. Blood dripped to the floor and onto his clothes. He could see Sabor licking his lips as he eyed the open wound. Again, the leopard leaped at the injured teen, but this time, Sora was ready. Sora hit the cat in the face baseball style, ignoring the horrible pain in his arm. Sabor flew across the floor, but quickly regained his footing. The two began the staring match again, Sora wincing every once in a while. Suddenly, without warning, Sabor pounced, sending Sora flying against a wooden support beam in the middle of the room. He slid to the ground as the big cat seemed to grin at him. Sabor circled him a while, trying to decide the best way to deal the finishing blow. Fear flashed across Sora's face, and Sabor took that moment to pounce. But he never made it to his prey. A man came out of nowhere and stopped Sabor by blocking him with his wooden spear. Sabor struggled against the strange man for a while, until he was thrown aside. The cat glared death at the man and left with a frustrated growl. The man turned to the very surprised, and still bleeding, Keyblade master. Sora quickly stood up, holding his arm.

"Sabor…danger." The man said in broken English. Sora raised an eyebrow at him.

"Um…thank you…" he said and took out a potion to fix his injury.

"Thank…you." The man repeated, watching Sora with interest. Sora stopped what he was doing and stared at the man. He quickly finished applying the potion and watched his wound hea.

"Um, what is this place?" Sora asked, taking a glance around the tree house. The man took a step forward, examining Sora closer.

"This place, this place…" he repeated like a parrot. Sora blinked at the man, confused.

"Okaaaay…where did the others go?" he asked slowly. This time, he didn't get any response. He sighed and rubbed his head.

"Look, I got separated from my friends. Have you seen them?" he asked, although he really didn't know why since the man obviously didn't know what the hell he was talking about.

"Hmm?"

"F-rie-nd-s!" Sora emphasized every syllable of the word for him. The man smiled and repeated the word Sora had said. Sora smiled, happy to finally get on the same page as him.

"Right! My friends! There's two of them. The loud one's Dona—" Sora cut himself off and looked to the side, remembering the scuffle they had on the Gummi Ship.

"Huh?" the man asked, confused. Sora stood up straight and had a sad look on his face.

"You know what? Never mind. I'm looking for my friends Riku, Kairi, and Toni." He said. The man tilted his head to the side.

"Look for Riku, friends?"

"Right!" Sora's face lightened up a little, hoping the odd man had seen them. Well, if he saw Toni he might not be here now. Sora couldn't see why Toni would want to come to this world.

"Toni…friends?" The man asked. Sora hesitated. Officially, they were enemies. He could have sworn he saw the old Toni from the island in the shadows, smiling warmly at him. He got a pained expression, but finally answered the man.

"Yes…"

"Friends here!" the man said with a smile. Sora's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. Toni WAS here! That wasn't good…but maybe Riku and Kairi would be here too.

"Really?!" Sora asked excitedly, although he had no idea why he'd be excited to see Toni. All she did was try to hurt him. He was also surprised that she hadn't succeeded. The man started making strange ape noises, startling Sora.

"Uh…not sure I understand, but show me! Take me to my friends!" Sora said enthusiastically, his mood lighter than before. The man pointed to himself.

"Tarzan. Tarzan go." He said. So, he had a name, Sora thought. Sora smiled and jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"I'm Sora!" he said happily. "Tarzan go, Sora go go!" he said cutely.

Meanwhile, Goofy and Donald sat on a boulder in the middle of a bamboo thicket, nowhere near Sora. Donald was pouting while Goofy had a worried look on his face.

"Gwarsh, where are we?" he asked. He leaned his arms on his legs with a sigh. "I sure hope Sora's okay…"

"Aw, who needs him?!" Donald said, still bitter about Sora's taking over of the Gummi Ship and crash landing onto this God forsaken world. There was no way the King could be on this planet, but Sora only thought about his friends, the nerve! "We can find the King without him!" he shook his fists slightly. A big furry blob of grey caught his eye. He turned to see the blob better and came face to face with a gorilla. They stared at each other for a while, then…

"AAAAHHHH!" Both Donald and the gorilla freaked out, and the gorilla took off running, dropping a Gummi block along the way. Donald knelt down to pick it up, but he stopped when a man with a very deadly looking shotgun entered the area. Donald and Goofy could tell right away that this man was trouble…

Sora and Tarzan made their way through the dense jungle, Sora stopping every now and then to admire the scenery. The two passed through a beautiful field of bright flowers. Amongst them, hidden in the sea of color, was a darkly colored flower. Sora stopped and stared at the little flower, a certain person crossing his mind. He gently picked the flower and held it carefully in his hands. Tarzan watched as Sora tucked the flower away in his pocket for safe keeping.

Finally, after a good 15 minutes of walking, the two reached the campsite. Tarzan led Sora into a decent sized tent. Inside was a woman with long, brown hair, standing behind a very old looking projector.

"Jane!" Tarzan said. The woman turned to the ape-man and smiled warmly.

"Taran! Oh, and who's this?" she asked, leaning in for a closer look at the youth. Sora blinked a few times.

"Uh…hi there. I'm—"

"Oh! You speak English!" Jane said, surprised. "So then, obviously you're not related to Tarzan…" she said aloud to herself. Sora raised an eyebrow at her and looked to Tarzan, wondering how anyone could think the two were related. "Are you here to study the gorillas?" Jane asked, excited.

"Highly doubtful…" said a snobby sounding voice from outside the tent. In stepped the hunter from before, Donald and Goofy right behind him. Once Sora saw the two, he immediately rushed over to them.

"Sora!" Goofy called as him and Donald ran to their not-so-long lost friend. Donald and Sora grabbed hands, jumping for joy that they found each other.

"Donald! Goofy!" Sora said happily, glad to see they were okay. The merriment stopped, though, once Sora and Donald remembered that they were angry with each other. The two quickly let go of each other and proceeded to put, both of them refusing to look at each other. The hunter scoffed and looked down his nose at the hero trio.

"A circus of clowns. Not much use for hunting gorillas…" he muttered. The Jane woman sighed and looked sternly at the hunter.

"Mr. Clayton, we're studying them, not hunting them. This is research!" she said. Clayton gave her a dirty look and just up and left. Sora watched him go, an eyebrow raised. Jane brushed off Clayton and smiled at her new guests.

"Well, the more the merrier! Make yourselves at home." She said in a motherly voice. Sora smiled and nodded at her. Maybe this world wasn't so bad after all. His hand absently went to his pocket to see if the flower he found earlier was still okay. He didn't know what he was going to do with it, or why he picked it. Something just told him to.

"Well…anyway…" Sora started.

"I'm staying." Him and Donald said at the same time. The two looked at each other, surprised.

"Huh?"

"Sora, look what we found! Look at this!" Goofy showed Sora the oddly shaped little Gummi block. Sora stared at it, wondering what it was.

"What is it?" he asked, picking up the block to examine it closer.

"A Gummi block!" Goofy said happily. "The same stuff we use to build our ship!" Sora put two and two together in his head.

"So…that means—"

"The King could be here. So, we've gotta work together to look for him…for now!" Donald said, shooting a glare in Sora's direction. Sora retuned the look.

"Fine, I'll let you tag along…for now!"

---

Rain fell in buckets at Hallow Bastion. A very injured Toni half-limped through the castle, keeping to the sharp shadows. She clutched her right arm and favored her badly bruised leg, hoping it wouldn't give out under her. When her Sire said he was feeling generous, it wasn't in the way Toni thought he meant. Luckily, he had been called away before any permanent damage could be done. She was very happy that none of her bones were broken.

She quickly turned the corner, leaning against the wall for a few seconds to regain her strength. She could see a few council members loitering in the hall, their eyes all fixed on her. She sucked in a ragged breath and continued down the hall, ignoring the snickers and comments from the others in the hall. Among them was Hades, who was grinning like a kid in a candy shop. She kept her eyes glued to the door at the end of the hall and prayed that Riku wasn't in her room. He would freak out and probably make things out to be bigger than they really were.

Before she opened the door to her room, she leaned against it, trying to hear any movement in her room. Silence greeted her. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Sitting on the bed was none other than Riku, looking very relaxed. He was leaning back on one elbow, a book in his other hand. He glanced at Toni, expecting to see her smiling seductively like she usually does when she sees Riku after a meeting. What he saw caused the book and his jaw to drop. He shot up and rushed over to the bruised girl.

"Oh, my God! Toni! What happened?!" he nearly shouted, quickly closing the door and taking her in his arms to keep her up. Toni sighed and let Riku take her to the bed. She sat on the edge as Riku kneeled down on the ground in front of her, worry written all over his face.

"Toni…?"

"He…got mad…" she said in a tiny voice, tears forming once again in her eyes. Riku quickly looked her over, searching for any broken bones and serious cuts. All she had were bruises and a few tender spots. Her shoulder, neck, and right arm were bruised pretty bad, and her hips and thighs were tender to the touch.

"Oh Toni…he didn't…do anything else, did he?" he asked, quickly sitting next to her so she could lean on him. She didn't answer. She just buried her face in his shoulder and tried as hard as she could to lose herself in his arms. That was enough of an answer for Riku. He held her as tight as he could without hurting her.

"Oh Riku…" Toni said through her sobs. "We have…to get out of here…" she managed to squeeze out. Pain washed over Riku's face as he wiped a few tears from her cheeks. "We can't stay here…" she added, shaking her head, new tears replacing the ones Riku wiped away.

"But…where can we go...?" Riku asked softly into her hair. He knew where Toni was coming from, but he wasn't sure that was the safest idea in the world. Toni stayed quiet for a long time, her sobs dying down.

"Anywhere…" she finally said. "Anywhere but here…"

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**Toni got her ass handed to her, and Sabor got HIS ass handed to him!...kinda. Deep Jungle is a very interesting part of the story. Keep reading to find out~ Reviews make Newin happy!**


	15. Dearly Beloved

**Short chapter is short, but it finally answers some questions I KNOW you have about Toni and her feelings~ there isn't really anything from the game in this chapter, just something that furthers this story! :D**

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Toni sat on her bed, her eyes locked on the Rising Falls that were visible from her bedroom window. Riku said behind her, gently massaging her shoulders and back to try and make her feel better. Even though she had the crap beat out of her, she was still expected to be at the top of her game for her missions, and for taking on Sora. She had asked Riku to help get the new kinks out of her muscles before tomorrow, hoping she wouldn't be sore. Riku finished and gently leaned his head on her uninjured shoulder.

"All better?" he asked. Toni smiled and put her hand on his. She felt Riku chuckle softly.

"Now don't go getting yourself into more trouble, okay?" he said with a laugh and pulled Toni into his lap, keeping his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Toni laughed with him and snuggled back against him.

"I'll try." She said softly. The two just stayed there for the longest time before Toni finally spoke up again.

"I have a mission I have to do, Riku…" she said in a sad voice. Riku sighed and tightened his grip.

"Do you have to go now…?" he asked. Toni chuckled lightly and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

"I shouldn't be gone too long…" she said with a smile. Riku smiled back and kissed her back on the forehead. He still had worry in his eyes. The two shared a sweet kiss before Toni carefully slid off the bed and left Riku alone in her room. He sighed and looked out the window, to the Rising Falls.

---

Night soon feel on the little jungle infested world. Donald and Goofy stayed in the tent to sleep, but Sora wanted to explore the campsite and surrounding areas. Tarzan offered, in his own way, to accompany Sora for protection, but he turned the ape-man down. He time to think alone, and maybe train for a while. He needed to strategize for when he ran into Toni, which he knew was going to happen sooner or later.

He walked into the Hippos Lagoon area to enjoy a night time swim to clear his head before he started his mini expedition. The whole area was dimly lit by strange sparks floating on the water. A dark figure was laying half in and half out of the water, their arms and head resting on the ground as their body soaked in the waters of the lagoon. It was too dark for Sora to see exactly who it was, so he stepped forward for a closer look, quietly taking out his Keyblade in case they tried to attack. All he could make out was long dark hair partially covering a pretty little face, which looked very familiar…

"T…Toni?" Sora asked and took another step forward. Toni slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Sora, lifting her head slightly. A few of the sparks floated towards Toni and Sora, illuminating them better for the other person. Sora gasped, finally able to see all the bruises on her shoulder, arms and face. Her eyes were a very pale yellow and didn't glow like they usually did. She looked…horrible! She smiled weakly and pulled herself out of the water and at on the bank, her legs still submerged in the cool water.

"Hey Sky-boy…" she said quietly. Sora rushed over to her and kneeled down beside her. Up close, her bruises looked so much worse. Her whole shoulder and arm was a giant bruise, and her cheek was tinted purple. Her neck had very distinct finger marks, and he could see part of a bruise on her thigh. His eyes made it back to hers, which were locked on him.

"Oh God…what happened?!" He asked, actually worried. Toni shrugged and looked back to the water, following a spark as it floated towards the two teens. Sora looked her over again, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. Toni watched him, wanting so bad for him to take her in his arms. But she knew that would never happen. They were enemies, even though they didn't act like it at the moment. She just had to see him to remind herself what she was fighting for.

"You shouldn't be out…" Sora said quietly, looking back at her face. Toni shrugged again and smiled slightly.

"I have nowhere to go, really…" she said, looking back at the water. "This is the only place I could think of to come and relax."

Sora looked confused.

"Couldn't you go home…?" he asked, sitting close to Toni after taking off his shoes to slide his legs in the water. Toni stayed silent, her eyes still locked on the water. She laughed a little.

"It's not a home…it's a prison…" she said quietly, almost in a whisper. Sora stared at her for the longest while. His hand absently went to his pocket with the flower again. He thought about giving it to Toni, but decided against it. Now wasn't the time. The two teens stayed silent for a very long time, just watching the water. Sora broke the silence with a sigh and looked at Toni.

"I guess I was wrong about you…" he said softly. Toni turned to face him, her eyebrow raised. What exactly did he think of her, she thought to herself.

"I always thought you turned into this sadistic girl who enjoyed pain and misery and darkness…but now I see—"

"Oh shut up, Sora." Toni said with a laugh to cover up the tears in her eyes. "Don't…don't judge me yet." She said and stood up slowly. Sora quickly stood up with her, putting his hands gently on her waist, just in case she decided to lose her balance. Toni hesitated when she felt his hands on her, and couldn't resist touching them. She placed her hands lightly on his, facing away from him, trying so hard to control her tears. When she realized she was fighting a losing battle, she finally turned to him and looked up into his eyes.

"I have orders, Sky-boy…and if I go against them because of something stupid, like feelings, I'll get punished worse than this. So prepare yourself. Next time we meet, I won't be a damsel in distress…" with that, Toni vanished, along with the sparks that floated idly on the water's surface. Sora's hands stayed where they were in midair, dumbfounded. A small smile finally made its way to his face. Maybe, just maybe, the old Toni wasn't gone after all.

The next morning, Sora was the first to wake, even though he only got a few hours of sleep. He sat up in his sleeping bag and stared out the entrance of the tent. The sun had just starting to rise. Sora stood up and quietly and walked out of the tent, not bothering with his shirt. He slowly walked back to the Hippos Lagoon, hoping to see Toni again. He found the area deserted of human life. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets.

"Huh?" Sora felt around in his pocket for the flower he had picked yesterday. He couldn't find it. He frantically looked around the area for it, thinking it fell out of his pocket. It was nowhere to be seen. He knew that flowers didn't just vanish into thin air, and he could have sworn he had it last night. Maybe…maybe Toni somehow got it, but how she did so was beyond him.

Sora's eyes fell to the clear blue water of the lagoon, his mind traveling back to last night. What did Toni mean by 'feelings'? Could she…no, it was impossible. They were enemies! There was no way she could like him…was there?

Toni sat on top of a tall tree in the Hippos Lagoon, watching Sora and clutching the dark little flower to her chest. She giggled softly and gave the flower a small kiss, a true smile on her pretty little face.

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**Yes, our little Princess of Darkness is falling for our favorite Keyblade master! Although, I'm sure you guys figured that out already :'D -shot- nice!Toni might make a few more rare appearances, and she might not~ you'll have have to read to find out! Reviews make Newin happy!**


	16. Hand in Hand

**Now it's back to business for our trio after a night of plot tweesting! Toni's feelings are out in the open, but will she live up to the not being a damsel in distress? Read on, my friends...read on~**

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Sora, Donald and Goofy ran all over Deep Jungle, beating the Heartless senseless. Sora was unusually quiet during that time. Usually he would be fighting with Donald or yelling at the Heartless to pass on a message to Toni. But no one heard hardly a peep out of him. It was beginning to bug Donald and Goofy.

While they were sitting under the shade of some trees at the camp site, Donald decided to try and figure out why Sora was so quiet!

"Sora, do you remember what we said back in Traverse Town?" Donald asked in a slightly rude tone. Goofy winced and sighed. Donald was never good at these things. Sora altered his eyes to look at the angry duck.

"You said a lot of things in Traverse Town." He said almost in monotone. Donald stamped his foot and put his hands on his hips.

"I know that! We said you can't have any sad faces! No frowning!" he said. Sora smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry guys. I guess…I have a lot on my mind." He flashed a very reassuring smile at his companions. Goofy, though, still looked worried. Sora stood up and brushed off his shorts.

"I wonder where Tarzan went." He thought out loud, purposely changing the subject. Without much of an argument, the gang headed into the tent. Jane was inside with Tarzan, who was fiddling with a pencil and a drawing pad. Sora and the others watched him with looks of confusion on their faces. Jane chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Apparently, Tarzan was raised here in the jungle by gorillas. Communicating with him isn't easy, but he's learning. " she smiled fondly at Tarzan, who was distracted with his pencil and paper. Sora thought for a while.

"So…he was speaking gorilla back there. He said that my friends were here, and then some things I couldn't understand." He said. Jane crossed her arms over her chest and thought for a minute.

"Hmmm…why don't we try this?" Jane motioned to the really old projector. "We'll show Tarzan some slides and see if any of them match that word. Oh, what happened to those slides?" Jane proceeded to busy herself with looking around the tent. Sora looked at Donald and Goofy with a grin. It was time to go treasure hunting.

About an hour before sunset, Sora and the gang returned to the tent with all but one of the slides. Jane looked through them to see which one was missing.

"Hm…the one with the castle isn't here…" she said almost to herself. Sora glanced to Donald and Goofy. They had looked all over the Deep Jungle together for the slides. These were all they found.

"Maybe a gorilla picked it up." Donald said with a shrug. Sora picked up his Keyblade and rested it on his shoulder.

"I'll go look for it. Maybe we missed a spot." Without another world, or letting anyone object, he left. The sunset cast shades of orange, pink, yellow, and purple all over the world. A slight wind rustled the trees and clothes that hung on the line to dry. With a long sigh, Sora got to searching, using his alone time to think again. For some reason, he couldn't get Toni off his mind. He kept wondering if she was okay.

Quickly and quietly, Sora climbed to the top of the stack of wooden boxes. He looked around slowly, scanning every inch of the camp site His eyes passed over a dark figure sitting in a shaded area by the tent. It took him a while to realize it was there, it blended in so well. Without a sound, he slowly crept down the crates and over to the figure, his Keyblade raised and adrenaline pumping. He was about to strike when the figures golden eyes looked up at him, stopping him dead in his tracks. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the shadows, he could see the eyes belonged to Toni. She had come back.

"What are you doing here?!" Sora nearly yelled, causing Toni to wince out of surprise. She looked back down to the object she was holding in her hands. Sora wouldn't have that, though. He reached down and lifted her face to where she was looking at him to examine her bruises. They weren't as bad as before, but they weren't good.

"You shouldn't be out." He said sternly. Toni yanked her face away.

"You're not my father, so stop acting like it." She almost spat and stood up. At least she was moving better, Sora thought, totally ignoring her comment. He tried to help her up, not wanting her to strain herself, but she pulled away. When she did, the object in her hand fell to the ground. Sora picked it up before Toni could stomp on it with her boot. It was the missing slide.

"What…?"

Toni snatched the slide back and stuffed it down her shirt, glaring at Sora.

"This isn't for you to see…or anyone for that matter. Trust me." She was about to vanish when Sora grabbed her arm.

"Toni, what's gotten into you?! You're making no sense at all!" Sora nearly shouted again. Toni looked at Sora's gloved hand gripping her arm. She inhaled deeply and looked back up at him.

"It's best you didn't know, Sora…" she said quietly, and vanished soon after, leaving Sora answerless and slideless.

Sora returned to the tent with his mind full again. Donald and Goofy watched him as he walked up to Jane.

"I couldn't find the slide…" he said with a sigh and put his hands in his pockets. Jane was about to talk when Sora pulled out the slide from his pocket. "Er…well, I lied!" he said with a small laugh and handed Jane the slide. She smiled wide and put it in as Sora shook his head. Everyone turned their attention to the picture on the wall. It was of a large and beautiful castle with many high towers and what seemed like a waterfall for a front yard. Sora's breath caught in his chest. He had seen that castle somewhere before, but he had no clue where.

"Sora…? What's wrong?" Jane asked, noticing his awe-struck stare. He quickly shook his head and looked at Jane.

"It's nothing." He said with a smile. Jane seemed convinced and turned to Tarzan. "Well…?"

Sora looked at the ape-man, pushing the castle and Toni far from his mind. "Where are my friends?" he asked. Tarzan looked to the wall, thinking. After a while, he finally shook his head. Sora sighed and burst out of the tent. The other looked at the flap, worried about their young Keyblade master. Sora just stood outside the tent, looking up at the last rays of sunset before night set in. He was getting nowhere fast, and wasn't getting any answers. Only more questions. And what's worse is that he had a possibly psychotic enemy/friend. Talk about your bad day…

---

Toni walked back to her room, her boots making the ever infamous clicking sound on the marble floors of Hallow Bastion. Her eyes were a dim shade of violet as her energy level got lower and lower. She could feel cold and heartless eyes watching her from the shadows, waiting for her to fall helpless to the ground. But, of course, Toni wouldn't. Her pride wouldn't let her, not here. Her plan for revenge came first.

She quietly pushed open her bedroom doors that led to her room. Riku was asleep on the bed, all sprawled out and tangled in the covers. Toni smiled and quietly walked over to the bed, avoiding stepping on her heels. Soon, if her plan played out like she wanted it to, her and her beautiful prince would be out of this horrible world of darkness. She gently sat next to him and softly stroked his silver hair. Soon, they'd be back where they belonged…with their friends.

"I promise…" she whispered in his ear and laid down next to him, soon falling into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

**Well, technically Toni didn't lie~ She wasn't a damsel in distress, but they weren't back to being enemies. But Sora knows something else is up, and he really wants to know! Too bad Toni isn't spilling the beans! Will she ever? Know one knoooows~ lol! Reviews make Newin happy!**


	17. Friends in my Heart

**Yes, it seems like Toni has feelings for both Sora and Riku, because she does xD Riku keeps her sane and she's just plain attached to Sora because of his heart lol and yes, Sora's been on edge, which is why he stormed out of the tent D: poor Sora~ I really liked this chapter for some reason! It's all Deep Jungle, mainly from the game, with only a few twists thanks to our favorite Princess of Darkness~ Enjoy!**

* * *

Once Sora had cooled off, he walked back into the tent. Everyone's eyes were locked onto him, looking worried. That is, everyone except Clayton, but what do you expect from an arrogant hunter? Sora gave everyone an apologetic look.

"Sorry…but Tarzan told me that—"

"That leaves just one place!" Clayton spoke up from his corner, resting his shotgun on his shoulder. Jane glared at him, not liking that weapon in her tent. Sora gave him a glare as well. He was never too fond of the hunter. Clayton gave Sora a dirty look, and it was all Sora could do to restrain himself.

"Young man, we've been in this jungle for some time now, but we have yet to encounter these friends of yours. I'd wager they're with the gorillas, but Tarzan refuses to take us to them." He shot Tarzan the same look he gave Sora. Sora raised an eyebrow at him. It was true that they hadn't looked in the gorillas nest, but he was sure that Clayton had other reasons for wanting to check there. Tarzan didn't seem like the kind of person to hide things from his friends without a good reason.

"Really, Mr. Clayton!" Jane spoke up, her hands on her hips. "Tarzan would never—"

"Then take us there!" Clayton said, interrupting Jane. Sora clenched his fists, but Donald kept a firm grip on his belt to keep him from charging. "Take us to the gorillas! Gor-ril-as!" Clayton continued, anger rising in his voice. Tarzan looked torn on what to do. He looked nervously at Sora, who was just glaring at Clayton. Tarzan nodded and gave Clayton a distrusting look. Jane put her hand on Tarzans shoulder.

"Are you sure…?"

"Tarzan…go see Kerchak…" he said and looked up at Jane. Clayton got a large and evil grin on his ugly face. Sora REALLY didn't trust him now. He would have to keep close tabs on him.

"Kerchak…?" Jane asked. Clayton took a step out the door, the evil grin still on his face.

"He must be the leader. Perfect! I'll go as an escort. After all, the jungle IS a dangerous place…" he grinned wickedly at Tarzan. Sora took out his Keybalde and rested it on his shoulder.

"Yea, especially with you and hat gun in it." He said coldly. Oh no, Toni was rubbing off on him. Clayton glared at the daring youth, but said nothing.

With everything settled, the group headed out, Sora keeping a close watch on Clayton and his gun. Donald hung back with Goofy to fight off the Heartless that tried to sneak up on them. Sora strode up next to Clayton, admiring his Keyblade.

"So, why did you REALLY come along?" he asked with a grin. Clayton looked down his nos e at the boy, his hand sliding around his trigger guard.

"As an escort and nothing more." He answered. "I mean, you and your PETS would be jungle food if I weren't here." He said in a snooty tone. Sora laughed and kept admiring his Keyblade.

"Sure…"

Slight movement from the bushes made the group stop dad in their tracks. Tarzan raised a hand and slowly approached the bushes. A low growl emitted from the bushes, causing Sora to tense up.

" I know that—"

Suddenly, Sabor leaped out from the bushes, soaring over Tarzan and landing in front of Clayton and Sora. Sora, of course, wasn't surprised and was ready for action. Clayton, on the other hand, looked as though he were about to wet his pants. The look in Sabors eyes was either 'hello lunch' or 'hello sweet revenge.' Sora decided it was a mixture of both.

Like before, Sora and the giant kitty had a stare down. Sora motioned for Clayton to stand back and for Donald and Goofy to step up. Clayton didn't mind taking cover as the fight began. Four on one wasn't fair, but Sabor had enough power to handle it.

The fight didn't take too long at all. Once Sora and gang rose victorious, Sabor ran off with his tail between his legs. Clayton glared at Sora and kept his distance the rest of the trip. Sora just followed right behind Tarzan, who was leading them like nothing happened. On the outside, Sora was cool as a cucumber, but on the inside, he was dancing for joy and laughing at the deflated ego of the hunter. Even if Toni showed up, healed and ready to fight, nothing could bring him down at this moment. Life was good.

The group finally arrived at a peaceful vine area high in the trees. Sora leaned against the large tree and watched Tarzan approach the edge of the tree canopy. Donald and Goofy stood on either side of Clayton, keeping a close eye on him. Nothing happened for a while. Then, out of nowhere, at least 30 gorillas showed up, two standing on a branch straight across from the group. One was a huge, grey alpha male, and by his side was a smaller brown female, Kerchak and Kala. Sora and the rest stared in amazement. Tarzan started to speak in gorilla, losing the group.

"Kerhcak, please listen to me!" He pleaded in gorilla. "I know the nesting grounds are sacred, but I trust them! You see, I want to help them because…because…well, they need us…" he said. Sora and company just smiled and nodded, having no clue what was just said. Kerchak just stared at Tarzan with unemotional eyes. No one did anything for a while, keeping quiet. Suddenly, Kerhcak looked up, like something had distracted him. Without making a sound, him and his gorilla troop left, leaving Tarzan to plead to deaf ears. Goofy leaned down to whisper to Donald.

"He seemed sorta distracted by somethin'…"

"Yea…" Donald replied. "Was he looking at the tree house?"

Sora kept his eyes on the saddened Tarzan while Donald and Goofy kept whispering to each other. While everyone was distracted, Clayton took his leave and headed straight for the tree house for a spot of hunting.

After a few minutes, Sora finally noticed that the hunter had taken off. He took out his Keyblade and looked around the whole area, but he was nowhere to be seen. Donald and Goofy watched him with interest.

"Where did that stupid hunter go?" he asked them. Goofy shrugged and Donald glanced around. Tarzan got a worried look on his face. Sora growled and led everyone to the tree house to try and get a better look at the jungle. If Clayton even THINKS of hunting while he's around, it would be the last thing he did.

Inside the tree house, Turk was innocently playing with a globe, spinning it around and around. Clayton was right outside in the doorway, taking close aim with his shotgun. It was good that everyone got distracted. He slid his finger into the trigger guard and rechecked his aim. He was about to pull when…

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!" Donald ran up and startled Clayton so bad that it caused him to jerk back, barely missing the unsuspecting gorilla. Turk took off like a bat out of hell and hid behind Kerchak, who saw the whole thing from the second level. Donald looked totally infuriated at the hunter.

"What's the big idea?!" He yelled. Clayton glared at the duck and watched as the gorillas all got away. Tarzan quickly stepped up and tried to reason with Kerchak.

"Wait, Kerchak! Please!" he pleaded in gorilla. The alpha male, though, just shook his head at Tarzan and continued walking away with Turk. Tarzan just watched them leave, his anger growing. Sora stood in front of Clayton, a menacing glare fixed on his face that would make even Toni shiver. Clayton looked up at the angry youth and tried to make up a believable story.

"Y-you don't understand! I was only trying to…ah! A snake slithered by, you see. I saved that poor gorillas life!" he said in a very convincing voice. Well, it would have been if Sora and company bought it. Tarzan turned around and glared death at the hunter, who's face quickly dropped. With a wild ape-man and a sword happy teenager angry at him, his chances of getting out of this situation unscathed were slim. Tarzan sighed and slowly shook his head. Sora, though, wasn't going to let him get off that easy. He grinned and pressed the tip of his Keyblade to the hunters throat.

"I see that again, and you'll find out what it's like to be hunted…" he said evilly. Oh, Toni was DEFINITELY rubbing off on him. If that kept happening, Donald and Goofy would have a problem on their hands. They just stared at Sora, shocked at his comment and actions. Sora glanced at his friends, noticing their stares. He quickly pulled his Keyblade away from Claytons throat and rubbed his head.

"Um…w-we should get going…"

"How could you DO such a thing!?" Jane's angry voice echoed through the jungle, causing birds and animals to scurry off to hiding places. Sora stood next to the angry woman, a glare fixed in Claytons direction. Clayton laughed charmingly and raised his hands to try and prove his innocence.

"Now Miss Porter, as I told you, I was not aiming at the gorilla!" He said casually, ignoring the intensifying glare coming from the Keyblade master and is companions. Jane walked up to the hunter and boldly poked him in the chest.

"You are NOT to go near the gorillas EVER again!" she ordered. Clayton glared down at the daring young woman.

"All because of one mishap? Come now…" he looked up at the others in the tent, not liking the looks on their faces. He shot a wicked glare at Sora and stormed out of the tent in a rage. Jane sighed and rubbed her forehead. Clayton walked around the campsite, kicking up dust.

"What am I doing with these imbeciles? Blasted gorillas! I'll hunt down every last one of them! I'll track them down somehow…I'll stake my life on it." He said out loud and took his pipe out of his pocket and was about to stick it in his mouth when movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. A small, feminine figure took a small step out of the shadows, half of her face still hidden in the shadows. Her golden eyes burned into the stunned hunter.

"So, you'll stake your life, huh?" She asked with a menacing grin. Clayton glared at Toni and grabbed his gun.

"Who the hell are you?!" He shouted. Toni giggled and took a few daring steps forward, clapping her hands together gleefully.

"I'm someone who can help you get rid of the 'imbeciles' and get whatever your heart desires…" she said happily. She raised her hands to show the hunter that she was unarmed. She didn't need any more injuries now that hers were finally starting to go away, and this hunter looked like he'd shoot her in a minute. Clayton didn't looked convinced and aimed at the violet haired girl.

"How do you know what I want?" he asked defensively. Toni giggled again and put her hands on her hips.

"Are you going to shoot me? How wonderful! But…I wouldn't if I were you." She said, another evil grin forming on her face as multiple Power Wilds formed around her, bouncing around and grinning at Clayton. The hunter paled and fired a few shots at the Heartless. That didn't work too well.

From inside the tent, everyone heard the gunshots. Sora growled, grabbed his Keyblade and dashed outside, Donald and Goofy on his heels. When they got outside, they saw Toni standing by, watching her little Heartless pets harass a gorilla. Sora's rage level went up a notch.

"Toni!" He shouted. Toni turned to him and grinned. She waved slightly and winked at the youth before vanishing, leaving Sora to defend the helpless gorilla. He gladly obliged and took care of the annoying little monkeys. The gorilla looked thankful at Sora and his team as it ran off into the jungle. Sora looked at Donald and Goofy before all three headed off to find and destroy more Heartless.

It had been a while since Sora saw Toni. She actually looked a lot better. Well, it was obvious she was better if she was summoning Heartless. At least she didn't try to attack him this time. He was thankful for that. Her boots hurt!

Once Sora and company were sure that they had gotten all the Heartless, they headed back to the tent to see Jane worrying and Tarzan trying to comfort her.

"Oh, I do hope Mr. Clayton is safe…" she said quietly. Donald tapped his foot and gave Jane a look.

"Don't worry over someone like him! He's bad news!" He said. Goofy rubbed his head and looked down at Donald.

"Duh, but what if th' Heartless got 'em?" he asked. Sora looked out the flaps of the tent that fluttered in the soft breeze.

"Or worse, what it Toni got him?" he turned back to Donald and Goofy. "No one deserves that." He said with a little laugh. Donald and Goofy joined him. Sora knew that if Toni had heard him she'd probably throw a fit. Jane looked confused.

"Toni…?" She asked. Sora shook his head quickly, not really wanting to go into detail.

"Long story…anyway, we're going to go look for Clayton." He said and left the tent, Donald and Goofy following shortly after. Goofy caught up to him.

"Why didn' you wanna tell Jane about Toni?" he asked. Sora shrugged and cleaned a spot off his Keyblade with his shirt.

"I didn't think it was necessary."

Suddenly, a loud gunshot rang from the bamboo thicket to the east of the campsite. Sora looked at his friends before proceeding to head to the thicket. In the center of the large area, on top of a solitary rock, was Claytons pipe and what looked like a few drops of blood scattered on the ground. Sora looked nervous now. He didn't even notice Sabor facing off with an injured Toni near the back of the thicket. Donald and Goofy stared at the girl and large cat, their mouths slightly open. Toni glanced quickly at Sora and growled

"About time you got here, Sky-boy!" She yelled. Sora looked up at Donald and Goofy to see if they heard what he had heard. He saw where they were staring and looked as well. Toni glared at him.

"Idiot!" She shouted. "Get this damn cat away from me!" she hissed. Sabor lunged at Toni, who barely dodged his claws and teeth. Sora finally sprung into action and rushed to help Toni get rid of the oversized and obviously hungry kitty. Hm, second time him and Toni were fighting side by side. They should stop soon or people might suspect they weren't actual enemies.

Once Sabor was done away with, he limped off, severely beaten. Toni turned her attention to Sora. Their eyes met for a brief moment, reveling in their victory. Then…

"You bitch!" Toni yelled and punched Sora in the arm. Sora looked started and Donald and Goofy moved in to keep the angered girl away from Sora. "What was that crack about 'no one deserving to be caught by me', huh?!" she yelled, her hands going to her hips. Sora just laughed.

"Only stating the truth, honey." She said with a grin and moved to avoid a sharp kick to the groin. Toni huffed and tried to throw another punch at him, but Sora grabbed her fits and slung her away. She growled once she regained her footing and clinched her fists.

"You're such a pain, Sora!" she shouted and glared, though it held no real threat. Aw, she looked kind of cute like that, Sora thought. Whoa, wait a minute…he couldn't think that about the girl that was trying to kill him.

"Right back at you." He said and crossed his arms over his chest. Toni pointed her slim index finger at him and stomped her foot.

"You'll get yours, Sky-boy. Oh, will you get yours!" she said and vanished, leaving Sora and his pals laughing their faces off.

"Oh wow that was so awesome!" Sora said through his laughter. The laughter lasted for a pretty long time, the three enjoying it as much as they could. Sora forgot how good it felt to laugh like that. After all, since this little fiasco had started he hadn't been able to really laugh. He had missed it, and he hoped that once this was all over he would be able to go back to being a normal teenager. He hoped that once he stopped Toni, the world of darkness would be forgotten.

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**TEEHEE~ Toni and Sora worked together again! Although Toni wasn't too happy about it for some reason D: she's a strange girl, but I love her to death! The next chapter will be the last chapter named after songs on the Kingdom Hearts sountrack! I ran out of songs that I thought fit the chapters :'D anyone nervous about what Toni did to Claytong? Well keep reading to find out! Reviews make Newin happy~**


	18. A Walk in Andante

**We finally gt to find out what happened to Clayton! Just letting you know now, I cut out some parts to keep the chapter a decent length. It was about 3 pages in word! I hope you guys don't mind :D Anyway, enjoy!**

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Sora, Donald and Goofy headed back to the tent, still laughing from the earlier events that took place between Sora and Toni. Sora actually hoped that she showed up again. He hadn't had that much fun in a long time! Maybe that was the key to staying sane during this whole fighting darkness thing, think of fighting Toni as a game. Well, maybe not.

The group entered the tent to find it empty. The group looked around as Tarzan entered soon after them. Sora tilted his head to the side as Tarzan inspected the tent, looking worried.

"Where's Jane?" Sora asked the others, as if they knew. Tarzan looked up at his new friend, still worried.

"Something coming. Jane, danger. Jane near…near tree house!" hes said in a very rushed voice. The other three grew worried as well. This couldn't be good. Sora had a pretty good idea who was behind all this.

"Sounds like trouble!" Donald announced and readied his wizard staff. "Let's go!" with that, the group was off into the deep, unforgiving jungle. They walked through the Hippos Lagoon and climbed up to the vines. Sora, though, lingered in the lagoon, staring at the spot where him and Toni had talked a few nights ago. He started to wonder if Toni really did like doing what she was doing. If they were enemies, why did he get the feeling that she liked him? Enemies weren't supposed to like each other last time he checked!

The group entered the climbing trees area to find Turk and Jane trapped by a large, strange purple fruit. Heartless surrounded the two, their golden eyes glowing with hunger as they approached the two. Sora growled and took out his Keyblade, ready to kick some Heartless ass.

"Tarzan!" Jane yelled, terrified. Tarzan let out a mighty roar and attacked, signaling Sora, Donald, and Goofy to do the same. Once most of the Heartless were taken care of, Tarzan and Sora worked together to take out the purple fruit that held Jane and Turk prisoner. Sora could tell it was the work of Toni because of the black rose fused to the side of the fruit. All the fun and happy that was in his body evaporated, replaced by anger once again.

Jane and Turk were let free once the fruit was destroyed, and everyone headed back to the tent to rest and tell what happened. Jane was rather shook up. Tarzan did all he could to comfort her, but not before speaking with Turk. Once the gorilla had left, Sora started the questioning.

"What happened?"

"Clayton came into the tent with some girl and…that's the last thing I remember…" Jane said and held her head in her hands. Sora's eyes narrowed as he pictured Toni in his head, laughing maniacally.

"What did th' girl look like?" Goofy asked. Jane looked up and sighed.

"I think she had purple hair and these…really weird eyes and…boots. Definitely boots."

Before Jane could finish, Sora was out of the tent, his Keyblade in his hands and his eyes fixed in a glare. Donald and Goofy quickly followed after assuring Jane that they would do everything they could to protect the gorillas and stop Clayton.

"TONI!" Sora shouted as he entered the bamboo thicket. Silence answered back, eerie silence. Donald and Goofy walked up beside their angry friend.

"Maybe she left…" Goofy said hopefully, looking around the deserted thicket. Sora shook his head and sucked in a ragged breath.

"She's always around…" he said almost to himself and proceeded to the cliff beyond the thicket. When he arrived, he saw Clayton aiming at a very scared gorilla. Power wilds were all around him, giggling and chattering away. Sora gasped and took a step forward, noticing Toni high up in the trees, watching and grinning.

"No!" Sora shouted. Clayton turned slowly to the trio, who was quickly joined by Tarzan. Claytons eyes were dark and empty. Sora gasped at the sight, wondering what had happened to him. Toni laughed and jumped down right in front of Sora.

"Hello there, Sky-boy! Like my new pet? He's kinda a wild one, though. I might have to fix that later. She said and put her hands on her hips. Sora growled and sung at her, but she nimbly dodge it and stepped away. "Aw, don't be so mean! What have I ever done to you?"

"Shut up!" Sora snapped and charged at her. Toni hissed and jumped up to a higher ledge. Her long black skirt had a dirt stain on it from where Sora tried to hit her.

"Ack! Look what you did! Damn, you piss me off!" her eyes started to glow menacingly as she glared at Sora, who chuckled. He stared up at her, ready to fight. Instead, Toni sent Clayton after Sora, along with her Heartless.

"Oh, I don't intend to fight you head on, dear. I have my new toy to do that!" she said and clapped her hands together. Sora was too busy fighting off Clayton and his gun to respond. So Donald did it for him by trying to blast her with a fire attack. Toni easily sidestepped and sighed.

"If I were you…" she said in a deep voice to the duck. "I would watch where you point that thing unless you want to be fried and eaten, you stupid duck!" with that, she summed up another Heartless, whose grand entrance was breaking down a large stone wall that divided the area in half. The bad thing about this Heartless is that it was invisible. Clayton climbed onto the back of the new foe and grinned down at the four heroes. Toni giggled and waved to Sora.

"Ta ta, Sky-boy!" She said and vanished. Sora growled and tried as best he could to fight off the unseen enemy. Clayton sure did make it easier, though, by riding on its back. Tarzan and Goofy helped Sora with the offensive attacks, while Donald blasted away with all the magic he could muster up. He was simply appalled by the fried-and-eaten comment. Who in their right mind would want to eat a duck?! The nerve of that girl!

Toni was working on Sora's last nerve. If he was ever put alone in a room with her, he'd probably strangle the girl to death. She almost never fought him head on; she always sent her Heartless minions after him. He didn't want to waste the minions, he wanted to waste her! Was she afraid to fight him or something? And what was with her random mood swings? Once minute she's all gung-ho about destroying him and every world that crosses her path, and the next she's a damsel in distress and sending out mixed signals. Sora wanted to know if she hated him or liked him. Geeze, that girl needs to make up her mind!

Finally, the last blow was delivered and the large Heartless fell to the ground right on top of the hunter, its heart floating out of its body and dissolving into thin air. Sora stared at his foe, panting and sweating. The Heartless were getting stronger, and that only meant that Toni was too. Great…

Goofy gently rested his hand on Sora's shoulder, making sure he was okay. Sora glanced at his friend and sighed. Donald fixed his ruffled feathers and crossed his arms over his chest.

"When I see that darn girl again I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!" He shouted. Goofy and Sora chuckled, Sora putting away his Keyblade.

---

Sora and the gang bid farewell to their new friends on Deep Jungle after they locked the world from darkness forever. They boarded their Gummi Ship, looking forward to a nice, long, restful flight after the tough fight.

Meanwhile, back in Hallow Bastion, eight figures were gathered around a glowing green cauldron, an image of Deep Jungle floating just above the green ooze.

"That hunter wasn't very successful now, was he?" asked one of the members, adorned with a big hat and a bird on his shoulder. He held a golden cobra staff with glowing ruby eyes. The tallest figures looked to a rather short one with eerie golden eyes.

"I thought you said the hunter would be successful…" the tallest figure said. Toni brushed her hair from her shoulder and folded her arms behind her back.

"He was selfish and wanted all the wrong things. That, and he tried to shoot me." She said with a shrug. One of the members, a plump fellow, laughed evilly.

"Oh boy did he get beat! That little pip squeak took him out!"

"But what do we do about him? He found another keyhole." Asked the figure with the hat. The tall one, obviously Maleficent, laughed and changed the image above the cauldron to Sora and his group. Toni looked away.

"Fear not. It will take him ages to find the rest. Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our other plan. That is, unless…" Maleficent turned to Toni, followed by the other members in the room. Toni just stared forward like a soldier at attention. She couldn't let her mistress know of her own plan and her sneaking around behind her back. And if she did already know, it was best to keep quiet until confronted.

Once the meeting let out, Toni quickly returned to her room, nearly tripping over her own skirt. She quietly closed and locked the door behind her and turned back to face an empty room. She took a small step forward, her boots clicking quietly on the marble floor. She was pretty sure Riku should be here.

"Riku…?" she asked and took another step forward. Suddenly, she was ambushed from behind and locked in an almost death grip. Toni nearly screamed and fought against her assailant, who just laughed.

"Got'cha!" Riku said through his laughter. Toni quit struggling and looked up at her Prince, a blush spreading across her face.

"Riku! Oh God don't DO that to me!" she said, joining him in laughter. Riku let her go after hugging her and the two sat on the bed.

"How did the meeting go?" he asked with a little kiss on the cheek. Toni smiled and took his hands in hers.

"Well, I didn't get hit, so I think it went pretty well! You're still going to help me train, though, right?" She asked happily. Riku grinned.

"Sure, why not. But I'm not fighting you in those boots. Do you know how sharp those heels are?"

Before Riku finished, her boots were off and laying across the room where she threw them. Riku chuckled and stood up, followed by Toni. He couldn't help but laugh again at her height. Toni made a face and attacked, and the two were off sparring.

Toni needed this training. If she wanted to exact perfect revenge, she had to be stronger than she's ever been in her life. She had to defeat her Sire, Ansem, to gain her freedom from this wretched world of darkness that she was forced into. She had always resented what he had done to her so many years ago. He was now forcing her to do to everyone in every world she destroyed what he had done to her. She had no idea how she was going to beat him; he was at least ten times more powerful than her at the moment. But she had to keep hoping. She knew that once he was beat, she'd be able to go back to being a normal girl, even though she was far, far from it…

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**I kinda regret leaving out the world locking thing~ It was really cute in the game! This is the last chapter named after Kingdom Hearts songs. Now they'll be named after songs that I feel fit the chapters mood! :D You guys get to see my weird music taste YAY! The next chapter is going to be very, very interesting~ Reviews make Newin happy!**


	19. Thank You For The Venom

**Six pages in word! Omg! This chapter starts out with Riku and Toni, but there's a reason for it~ You'll just have to read and find out! This chapter was super easy to edit after I got past the Riku and Toni scene. I didn't really have to edit much, just a few lines of dialogue and gramatical mistakes that 15 year old me used to make all the time!  
**

**Thank You For The Venom - My Chemical Romance  
**

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Toni and Riku went at it for a few hours, Riku becoming quite worn down. Toni was really strong and fast when she was determined. Riku had a hard time keeping up with her. The sparing went out onto the balcony and Toni almost threw Riku over the edge. Lucky, he caught himself and just looked up to Toni, who looked apologetically at him. Riku, being a good sport, laughed it off.

"Maybe we should take a break." He huffed, his breath coming fast and his body totally covered in sweat. Toni nodded and looked him up and down, liking what she was seeing. Toni didn't even notice Riku doing the same thing. Riku gently grabbed her arm and pulled her close, a grin on his face.

"What do you say we go down to the Rising Falls…?" He asked in a sensual voice. It took Toni a while to figure out what he was implying. When it hit her, she happily walked with her prince down the long, cold hallway, talking and flirting freely. She didn't care who saw her. Wasn't a princess allowed to flirt with her prince? That's basically in the royalty rule book! Now walking barefoot through the halls, that was against the rules. Toni just hoped she didn't get caught.

The couple made it safely outside and headed towards the Rising Falls. Toni suddenly took off towards the final stretch, grinning back at Riku. He grinned back, giving her a head start before taking off after her. He easily caught up with her and tackled her into the deep, clear water with him.

"Ah! Not fair!" Toni managed to shout before going under. She broke the surface first and clambered back onto the path, sitting on the edge. Riku came up laughing and spitting water from her mouth. Toni crossed her arms over her chest and shot Riku a pouty look as he just grinned up at her, swimming around in the area in front of her. Toni finally looked away from Riku, trying to resist his attempts at getting her attention.

"Hey!" Riku splashed her, but it had no effect. He stuck out his lower lip and swam up ther her, his arms resting on her legs. "Are you ignoring me…?" he asked in a small voice. Toni tried to resist looking at him, but she finally broke in and giggled. She hugged his head tight to her chest.

"It's too hard to ignore you." She gently ran her fingers through his sopping wet hair. Riku smiled at her and slid his arms around her waist. The two stayed like that for a long time, just enjoying being out of that stuffy castle and away from missions and orders. Riku moved to where he could look up at Toni, thinking this a good time to ask a few questions that had been eating way at him.

"So…" he started, not sure how to ask them without upsetting her. Toni tilted her head to the side, a small smile on her face.

"Um, I was just wondering…where's Kairi?"

Toni froze. She hadn't expected him to ask. Honestly, she didn't know where Kairi was either. All she was told was to bring her to Ansem, but she couldn't tell him Ansem had her. That would raise so many red flags in Riku's mind, she just knew it!

"She's…safe." She said with a smile. Riku wasn't satisfied with safe, so Toni had to lie. "She's probably with Sora."

That was a bad lie, a very bad lie, and Toni knew she'd somehow end up regretting it. Riku smiled, believing her, which killed her even more.

"Good…" he said and hugged Toni tight. Toni gently pat his head, hating herself.

"Anymore questions?" She asked. Riku thought for a minute.

"So…I was supposed to be the Keyblade master?" he asked. He felt Toni nod. "What if I had chosen the Keyblade over this?" he asked. Toni felt a twinge of pain, wondering if Riku resented her for bringing him here.

"Then you'd be in Sora's place and Sora…might not be here." She said truthfully. "Do you…regret going with me…?" she asked in a small voice. Riku quickly shook his head.

"No! Not at all!" He said and pulled himself out of the water to take Toni in his arms. "I'm pretty sure I'm stronger here than if I had the Keyblade." He said with a laugh, but Toni could tell it was fake. She knew that, deep down, he actually did regret coming with her. She sighed and leaned her head on Riku's shoulder as he gently stroked her hair.

"Hey…" Riku said, lifting her head to look at him. "We'll be out of here soon, right? Don't look so sad…"

Toni smiled and gently kissed Riku. He was right. Soon, Toni would fix the mistakes she made and get her, Riku, and even Kairi out of this hell hole. They'd all go back to their little island with Sora, and they'd be happy again. A lie here and there was only a slight inconvenience. Once her plan went into action, it wouldn't matter anymore. No one would have to know she lied, especially not Riku. She just hope he and Sora would be able to forgive him for all the trouble and pain she caused them.

---

Our three hero's headed back to Traverse Town to rest and stock up on supplies. The whole time, Sora sat by the window, his Keyblade in his lap and his head resting on his hand, his mind lost in thought as usual. He couldn't help it. Toni just confused him to no end! First she hits on him, then she tries to kill him, then she plays with him. What's she going to do next, invite him to a tea party? Well…she might poison the tea. Either that or put some sort of dark spell on it that'll turn him into a bug or something. Then she'll smash him with a hammer…a very large hammer.

Turning his thoughts back to the present, he began to wonder why his Keyblade acted so weird when they found a keyhole. Maybe he would do some research once they got back to Traverse Town. He was pretty sure Donald and Goofy didn't know about the strange things happening. But then again, you never knew.

Making up his mind, Sora stood up from his seat, walked over to the pilots chair and kneeled down, helping to balance himself with his Keyblade.

"Hey Donald?" He asked. Goofy, who was sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at the youth kneeling next to him. Donald glanced at him.

"Yes?"

"Have you noticed that whenever we find a keyhole, the Keyblade does something weird?" He asked. Donald though for a minute, and so did Goofy.

"Come ta think of it, I did notice that..." Goofy said. Donald nodded and looked at Sora.

"The King said something about that," he said and turned his attention back to the windshield. If they hit anything going this fast there'd be no more heroes. "He said that the worlds needed to be locked away from Darkness...or something like that, and the Keyblade is the key to do it with." He explained. Sora nodded slightly, then looked down at his shiny Keyblade.

"I see..."

With that said, he stood back up and sat back down in his usual spot by the window, the cranks inside his head turning once again. If what Donald said were true, then Sora was actually helping to protect the worlds from darkness...also known as Toni. A small grin crept across his face as he imagined the look on Toni's face when she found that out, if she didn't know already. Oh what joy! He looked away from the window to see out the windshield. They were just now coming up on Traverse Town. The grin on Sora's face widened as the thought of sealing away the cozy little Traverse Town buzzed around inside his head like hyperactive bees.

The trio disembarked in the First District. Before Donald and Goofy could get their land legs back, Sora was already striding towards the Second District, his Keyblade resting on his shoulder. Donald squacked and ran to catch up with him.

"What's the big hurry, Sora?" He asked as him and Goofy finally caught up to the young Keyblade master. Sora stopped and grinned back at them.

"I'm going to find the keyhole to this world and make SURE Toni can't destroy it!" He announced triumphantly. And then silence. Donald and Goofy stared at him funny, wondering what he was waiting for. After a fewseconds, Sora started to look around. Why hadn't Toni showed up and said something like 'that's where you're wrong, sky-boy!' or another cheesy villain phrase?

"Sora...?" Goofy asked. Sora laughed nervously and rubbed his head.

"I guess I expected Toni to appear or something..." He said. Goofy and Donald stared at him even more....then laughed.

"It's a good thing she didn't!" Donald said. Sora nodded and turned back to the path he was taking earlier. He knew all to well what would happen if Toni showed up. They'd fight, one of them would get hurt, and more confusion would try and eat away at Sora's brain. And that wouldn't be good!

"Well, let's get going!" Sora said. And they were off.

They searched the whole world for the keyhole for what seemed like hours. But, alas, their efforts returned nothing. Not even a hint. Sora tried all the locks he could find, too. A few times, he got his Keyblade stuck, and the other times he actually broke the lock. The defeated trio now sat in the Second District on some wooden benches, their heads in their hands.

"It HAS to be around here somewhere!" Sora said and leaned back. Donald sighed and looked at Sora.

"But we've tried everywhere!"

"Yea," Goofy added. "and no luck..."

Sora made a face and went back to thinking. Maybe if they asked someone they would get some clues. But who...?

"Cid!" Sora jumped up and smiled down at Donald and Goofy. "Maybe Cid knows something!"

Without another word, off they were to the Accessory Shop. Sora burst through the door and bound up to the counter, scaring the living daylights out of Cid.

"AH!" Cid yelled. "Don't DO that to me!"

"Sorry, but have you seen a big keyhole around here anywhere?" Sora asked excitedly. Donald slapped his forehead. Sora was so easily excitable. Cid raised his eyebrow at the youth and crossed his arms across his chest.

"No...why?"

And so Sora told him. Cid looked at the young hero like he might be crazy or something, but he listened none the less. Once Sora was finished, Cid went into thought.

"So...you're saying that every world has a keyhole, including this one?" he asked. Sora and the others nodded. Cid went back into thought.

"Well, I'd love to help ya, but I ain't seen no keyholes around here."

POP! Yet again, the sound of Sora's bubble popping. He sighed and looked disheartened to his friends.

"Well, if we can't lock this world, then there must be others out there we can." Goofy said. Donald nodded, but Sora still looked a bit sad. He wanted to protect all the worlds he came to from Toni, especially this one. He really liked it!

"In order to get to those worlds you need a Navigation Gummi." Cid said. Sora and the gang looked at him with a 'what the heck is a Navigation Gumi' look. Cid raised his eyebrow at them.

"You're kidding me...You're flying a Gummi Ship and you don't know nothin' about Navigation Gummi's?!" He crossed his arms across his chest. "Buncha pinheads. Interspace ain't no playground!"

Sora made a face at the older man. Goofy dug around in his pocket for a while and took out the strange gummi they found in Deep Jungle. Cid took it and examined it as Sora defended himself.

"There's a lot we don't know! So what?! We have to use the Gummi Ship to go to other worlds! We have no choice!" Uh oh, Sora lost his cool again. Cid raised his eyebrows and held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Whoa...easy. I didn't know. No hard feelings, alright? Well, I guess I could lend ya'll a hand, then."

Sora's spirits were drastically lifted. Finally, he was one step closer to stopping Toni. Once down, a million to go!

"Thanks..." Sora said with a smile. Cid made a face and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Basically, with Navigation Gummi's, you can go to new places. You want one on your ship, right? I'll install it for you. But I got this thing I gotta go deliver first."

"What do you need to deliver?" Sora asked quickly. He wanted to get going as soon as he could.

"Just this book. It's real old. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Anyway, you mind delivering it for me? It's the old house past Third District. Look for the big sign."

Before Cid was even finished, Sora grabbed the book and was about to head out of the Accessory shop when a loud thud shook the whole building. Sora and the rest looked around.

"W-what was that?" Sora asked, ready to take out his Keyblade incase of Heartless or Toni attack. Cid, acting like it was nothing, leaned against the counter.

"Hmm? Oh, the bell at the Gizmo Shop is ringing. Go check it out if you want, but deliver that book for me first. When you're done, stop by the house in the Third District. I'll be there."

Sora nodded and him and his gang headed off. The fought their way through the Second District, Sora trying as best he could not to go check out the Gizmo Shop. Donald and Goofy helped too by keeping him on track. Hey, Sora couldn't help it if he was curious! Well, actually he could. He mainly just wanted to see if Toni was there causing trouble.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy delivered the book to Merlin, the old wizard who lived behind the Third District. While they were there, they opened a new world in a book, the 100 Acre Wood, and practiced their magic as well. Once they were done, the group headed back out into the Third District, wanting to go inspect the Gizmo Shop. But, as soon as they stepped foot into the Third District, a shadow appeared. Sora smirked and took out his Keyblade. He was about to take care of the lone Heartless when it suddenly disappeared. Sora blinked, confused.

"There you are!" came a familiar voice. Sora looked up and saw none other than Riku. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as Riku grinned down at his friend, also excited to finally see him after so long. Though he had to wonder why Maleficent sent him instead of Toni. "What's up?"

"Riku!!" Sora shouted and rushed over to his long lost friend. He reached up and started to pull on his face. Riku pushed him away and raised his eyebrow at him.

"Hey, cut that out!" He said with a laugh.

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" Sora asked, trying his best to quell his growing excitement. Riku laughed again.

"I hope not. It took me forever to find you." He lied. Sora smiled up broadly at his friend.

"Riku..." he looked around slightly, half expecting Toni to be with him. He almost asked him where she was, but changed his mind. "Wait a second, where's Kairi?" He asked. Riku raised his eyebrow at him. Wasn't she...

"Isn't she with you?" He asked. Sora looked down and sighed. Riku couldn't believe it. Toni told him that Kairi was probably with Sora. She had lied to him...no, Toni wouldn't lie to him. Maleficent probably told her to. Yea, that was it. Sora couldn't believe that Kairi wasn't with Riku either. He knew he was with Toni, who took Kairi as well. If he hadn't seen her, then where was Toni hiding her?

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island too." Riku said with a smile. Sora nodded, knowing that she did. He just didn't know where she was, and that scared him. Riku looked around, inspecting the little Third District, ignoring the distrusting stares he was getting from Goofy and Donald. To them, something didn't feel right…

"We're finally free…" Riku said and turned his back to Sora, raising his arms slightly. "Hey, Kairi might be looking for us. We'll all be together soon. Just leave everything to me. I know—"

In the midst of talking, a Shadow appeared right behind Riku. He felt it, but he ignored it, as planned. It went to attack him, but Sora destroyed it with one swipe from his Keyblade. Riku turned around, a look of surprise on his face. Sora grinned up at the silver haired boy.

"Leave it to who?" he asked. Riku just blinked, trying his hardest to look surprised. He was almost positive it wasn't working too well.

"Sora, what did you—"

"I've been looking for you and Kairi too, with their help." Sora interrupted and motioned back to Donald and Goofy, who still looked at Riku with distrust. Riku knew who they were. Toni and Maleficent told him. But, he played innocent.

"Who are they?" He asked and raised an eyebrow and the odd duo. Donald cleared his throat and began talking.

"My name is--"

"We've visited many places and worlds, looking for you." Sora interrupted yet again. Man, he was getting a tad rude! Riku looked a bit pained, but quickly hid it.

"Really? I never would have guessed." Riku said with a slight grin. Goofy stepped forward and put his hands on Sora's shoulders, a smile on his dog-like face.

"Oh, and guess what! Sora's the Keyblade master!" He said happily. Sora grinned and leaned on his Keyblade.

"Who'd have thought it!?" Donald exclaimed. Sora shot him a look.

"What's that supposed to mean!"

Riku stared at the Keyblade, lost in thought. To think, this could have been him. It was a little mean to think, but he wouldn't have to be stuck in that hollow castle, where there was nothing but pain and misery. Man, if Toni heard him thinking like this, she would have probably hit him...or worse, cried.

Riku took the Keyblade easily from Sora's hands without him noticing and looked it over. Of course he was able to hold it. After all, he was supposed to be the true Keyblade master.

"So, this is the Keyblade?" He asked, still inspecting the shiny gold and silver key shaped sword. Sora looked at him, then his hand.

"Hey! Give that back!" He said and took a step forward. Sora couldn't afford to be unarmed in case Toni decided to appear. Riku kept looking at the Keyblade for a while. This...this key...could possibly save him and Toni. He looked at Sora, hiding the sadness in his eyes.

"Catch." He tossed the Keyblade to Sora, who clumsily caught it.

"Whoa! Okay, so you're coming with us, right?" Sora asked excitedly and put away his Keyblade. "We've got this awesome rocket! Wait till you see it!"

Riku was about to reply, but Donald cut him off.

"No, he can't come!"

In that instant, Sora's heart dropped like a ton of bricks. He had finally, FINALLY, found his friend whom he thought he'd lost to the darkness, and then Donald goes and says he can't come. Riku just stared at the group, no emotion on his face what so ever. Sora turned to Donald, a look of anger on his face.

"What?!"

"Forget it!"

"Oh come on!" Sora pleaded. "He's my friend!"

"I don't care!" Donald said rather coldly. Sora looked near the verge of tears, but held them in.

"He's gone..." Goofy said and pointed to where Riku once stood. Sora wheeled around and stared into the air. He sighed and shot a glare at Donald.

"Nice going...oh well, at least we know he's okay..." he said and tried to smile, but it was a small one. "And who knows!" he continued. "Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too!"

Hiding his disappointment, Sora and the gang headed to the house just up the steps. As they talked to Cid, Maleficent appeared once again with Riku outside, hidden from the inhabitants inside.

"Well done." Maleficent said to Riku as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Riku quickly shrugged it off and glared up at her.

"Where's Kairi?" he demanded. Maleficent smiled and toyed with his hair.

"You should ask your precious princess." She said in a cool voice. "She's the one who Ansem told to take care of her."

Riku just stared up at her for the longest time. So, Toni DID lie to him. Well now…that changes everything.

* * *

_**"So give me all your poison, and give me all your pills, and give me all your hopeless hearts and make me ill. You're running after something that you'll never kill. If this is what you want then fire at will."**_

**The next chapter is almost completely Toni. It's not long, but it'll explain a few things about her past...and how Riku took to being lied to. Reviews make Newin happy~  
**


	20. A Song for the Hopeless

**A few things to consider before you read on. This chapter will more than likely leave you saying 'wtf' and wanting to bash your head into the keyboard. This is normal. Everything will be explained once the prequel is released, a 10 chapter story telling of Toni's past and how she got to this point in her life. Also, if you haven't beaten KH2, this chapter might be a bit spoilerific. You have been warned! Also, short chapter is short.**

**A Song for the Hopeless - All That Remains  
**

* * *

Riku quickly headed towards Toni's room, anger written all over his face. Toni had told him that Kairi was safe with Sora, yet Sora had no clue where she was. And Maleficent told him that Toni knew! If Toni really did lie to him, he would be crushed.

He burst into the room, finding Toni asleep on her bed. Riku glared at her and closed the door behind him. He slowly walked around the bed, standing at the foot of it, that same glare still on his face as he watched her sleep peacefully. Why would she lie to him? Just a few days ago, she had told me that she would never do anything to hurt him. Was that a lie too? Was everything Toni had ever told him a lie?

"Toni." Riku said loudly. Toni stirred and shifted to lay on her back, opening her eyes a bit. She smiled softly up at her prince and sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Hey Riku…" she said through a yawn. Riku just stared at her. Toni looked at him and got a worried look on her face.

"Riku? Are you—"

"Where's Kairi?" he interrupted. Toni blinked a few times, then paled. Oh no…did he find out she led to him? He must have, he looked madder than hell. When she didn't answer right away, Riku spoke up again.

"You lied to me." He said, hurt replacing anger in his voice. Toni looked away, rubbing her head. "Where is she?" he asked again.

"…she's with Ansem. But I swear to you that's all I know! All he told me was to take her to him, that's the last I saw of her, I swear to you!" she said quickly. Riku's face paled. He lied to her twice…

"You TOOK her?! And she's with ANSEM?!" He yelled. Toni winced. "You told me she was safe! She's in the fucking lion's den!" Toni's eyes teared up as she quickly climbed out of bed and walked over to Riku, who kept glaring at her.

"Riku, I'm sorry! I didn't want you to worry about her!" she said, fighting back sobs that formed in her chest. "I promise you that—"

"No!" Riku cut her off, stepping away from her. "No more of your empty promises! You put my friends in danger! You LIED to me!"

I'm so sorry Riku, but I only did it to protect you! I've never lied to you about anything else, I swear on my life!"

Riku didn't answer. He just walked away from her to the balcony, slamming the door behind him. Toni just stood there, her tears now falling down her face. Never will she forget the hurt in his eyes. Never.

In a blur of violet hair, she turned and stormed out of her room, walking down the hall looking for Maleficent. She was nowhere to be found. Toni remembered she was probably in Agrabah with that stupid council member. So, she settled for the next best thing…

Toni burst into Ansems study, tear stains on her cheek.

"Where's Kairi?" she asked. Ansem looked up lazily from his book, a smile on his face.

"Hello, dear." He said in a sweet voice. Toni slammed the door behind her and stormed over to his desk.

"Where. Is. Kairi." She said, emphasizing each word. Ansem calmly closed his book, a smile on his face.

"You should know where she is, Toni. After all, she is a Princess of Heart. Don't you remember?"

Toni just glared at him, thinking. Then it hit her, and her heart sunk even more in her chest. Ansem's smile turned into a grin as he saw the realization behind her eyes.

"You know where Kairi is now, right?" he asked. Toni didn't answer. She just stared at him. Ansem chuckled and stood up, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You've always been a good little assistant, blindly following orders for the one you love—"

Toni yanked her shoulder back, her glare returning.

"I don't love you." She spat. Ansem chuckled and reached out for her again, but she stepped back. "I loved the man you used to be. The man you were before darkness consumed you!"

Ansem's smile faded. "I was weak before then, and so were you! If anything, I did you a favor—"

"You TOOK me from my father!" she shouted. "You brought me into this horrible world of darkness and pain. I was a fool to agree to be your assistant. I was a fool to let you do those horrible experiments on me and my friends! I was a fool to ever love you!"

Ansem had had enough. He grabbed Toni's shoulders and pinned her against the wall, his face twisted in rage.

"Oh, but you did, Toni. Your love and loyalty bound you to my side for all eternity. Deny it all you want, but deep down in that black little heart of yours, you're still loyal to me." He said, his face centimeters from hers. Toni glared up at him defiantly.

"I was loyal to Xehanort…the man you USED to be. Now…now I don't know who you are."

Ansem chuckled, finding her explanation rather amusing. He reached up and gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

"That doesn't matter now, does it? Regardless of who I am now, you are to forever serve me, and once Kingdom Hearts is found, you and I shall be the strongest Heartless the worlds have ever seen! We will rules over all, Toni, you and I. We will be together in darkness...forever."

* * *

_**"The day has ended. I lay awake. A soft glow over my shoulder. I'll sleep soon, wake tomorrow and then it's all the same. And I'll destroy the memories one by one. The bitter past erased. I'll not replace what's done is done. No belief is all that's left and I do not regret the darkness welcomes me back home! And I am still my own. Can't take away. And I feel the pain still deeply. It seems sometimes too much to bear. I have a core within me still. My strength is there. And I'll destroy the memories one by one. The bitter past erased. I'll not replace what's done is done. No belief is all that's left and I do not regret the darkness welcomes me back home! And I am still my own. Can't take away. And I can't be made less. I know who I am. And I am still my own!**_


	21. Tears Don't Fall

**I'm totally expecting mixed reviews for this chapter but it's one of my all time faaaaves :D I really like writing really strong emotional shit for some reason...I'm just weird~ lol enjoy probably the most emotional, and revealing, chapter in the fic!**

**Tears Don't Fall - Bullet For My Valentine  
**

* * *

Ansem sat in the large meeting room with all the other Heartless leaders, listening to Maleficent as she told of plans to eliminate the menace that was Sora. Toni stood in the corner of the room, forced to stay by Ansem. Ever since the little talk the two had, he had been keeping a close eye on her, making sure she wasn't planning on trying to escape. This made Toni furious. Now she would have to be even more careful about her plans. Ansem had a sharp eye, and ever since Riku stopped talking to her, they were always on her. She couldn't go easy on Sora anymore; she had no one to talk to. She was really, truly alone in this cold, cold world.

When Maleficent was done speaking, Ansem turned to his little Heartless girl and smiled like a father would to his child.

"Toni, dear, why don't you go and get ready for the next assignment?"

Toni suppressed a glare and nodded, quickly turning and leaving. She walked slowly down the hall, her mind racing faster than a bullet train. She had to think of a way to get out without Riku's help. Maleficent did a WONDERFUL job of turning him against her.

Toni walked into her empty room and closed the doors behind her. Riku had taken his things and left right after Toni ran off to try and find Maleficent earlier that day. She sighed and walked out to her stone balcony that overlooked the Rising Falls. If Sora kept up his pace, he would be there in no time, and then she wouldn't be able to protect him. He'd soon have to face Ansem, or worse…

Toni laid her arms and head on the stone railing, fighting a losing battle against tears once again. She had done a lot of crying lately, and it wore her out!

"God I hate this place…" she said, her voice thick with tears. She stood up straight, finally crying as she glared at the castle.

"I hate this place!" She yelled and vanished.

---

Sora and the gang hung around Traverse Town for a while, kicking Heartless butt and sightseeing, even though they pretty much knew the little world forwards and back. They had to do SOMETHING while Cid fixed up their ship, and what better way than to train! Sora always worried that he wouldn't be smart enough or strong enough to beat whatever Toni threw at him next. He had to stay in the best physical and mental state, though if Toni kept throwing him curve balls, his mentality would keep going downhill. He was so caught up in training that he totally forgot about the Gizmo Shop.

The gang took a rest at the fountain in the Second District. Sora sat on the edge, his hand dangling in the water. Donald and Goofy sat on the ground, leaning back against the fountain.

"I'm surprised Toni hasn't showed up." Sora said for the eighty-millionth time. Sometimes Donald and Goofy thought Sora actually WANTED to see Toni. He was always so fixated on her. He should just sit back and relax while he could, because once Toni picked up her 'beat up on Sora' schedule again, there would be no time for relaxing.

Sora suddenly sat straight up, listening very intently. Donald and Goofy did the same. Faint clicking could be heard from around the corner, like heels on a—

"Oh shit…"

Toni came from around the corner, her eyes on the ground and her hands on her hips. She seemed to be thinking very hard. Sora jumped up, his Keyblade in hand. Toni stopped walking and just stood in the middle of the open area, her eyes on Sora. They looked empty on the surface, but Sora could see a horrible war raging behind them. She looked like she had been…crying?

"This can be easy or hard." She said in monotone. Sora just raised his eyebrow at her. No monologue? No flirting? Something wasn't right…

"What—"

"Easy way," she interrupted. "is you sitting back and doing nothing. Let me and my Master do what we need to do."

Sora choked back a laugh. Toni, though, looked serious.

"Hard way, Sora, is that you die."

Okay, Sora liked the first option a lot better.

"Shouldn't there be a medium way? I mean, those two sound—"

"ENOUGH!" Toni snapped, her yell echoing through the empty district. Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped at her suddenly outburst. Toni looked somewhere between extremely pissed and extremely distraught. Sora's grip tightened on his Keyblade when she saw her hands clench into fists.

"I gave you two options, Sora, now pick one!" She said through gritted teeth. Sora could tell it was to hold back tears. Something was upsetting her.

"Why don't YOU stop what you're doing to make things easier on us?!" Donald shouted, waving his staff around. Toni ignored the duck, her eyes glued to Sora. Goofy rubbed his head and looked down to Donald.

"Duh, something isn't right with Miss Toni…" he said.

"Is…something wrong…?" Sora asked, genuinely worried. Toni didn't answer, nor did she move. She wanted so bad to unload everything onto Sora, to just break down right here and now. She wanted to go back to the way things were on the island more than anything right now. No…no that's not what she wanted. She wanted her life back…her real life.

"Answer the question…" She said quieter, her teeth and fists unclenched. Sora sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"…No, Toni. I'm not giving up without a fight…" he finally said. As soon as the last word was out of his mouth, Toni lunged at Sora, a strange new sword forming in her hands. Sora didn't really get a good look at it on account of him being attacked. He jumped out of the way and zigged as Toni swung at him, nearly missing his neck. This time, her eyes showed determination.

Donald and Goofy tried to help, but once again, they were stopped by a force field around them, forcing them to stand by and watch. Toni once again lunged at Sora, her blade coming down towards his head. Sora parried her attack and stared straight into her golden eyes.

"What's UP with you?!" He yelled. Toni growled and threw Sora away. Both of them stared each other down, ready to strike if the other made a wrong move.

"YOU'RE up with me, Sora!" She yelled back. Her voice was different somehow, Sora thought. "My life is hard enough without you and your pets meddling! It'd be SO much easier if you just DIED!" She screamed and attacked. Toni knew those words were lies. If Sora died, her life would become meaningless. If Sora died, she would have no hope of freedom…

Her and Sora were caught in a whirlwind of blows and metal greeting metal with enough force to shatter a thick wooden door. They went at it for a good minute until they flew apart, staring each other down again. Both were panting and sweating, their energy wearing thin.

"Why don't YOU make MY life easier? Why do I have you help YOU?!" he yelled angrily. Toni cringed. She hurled her sword at Sora, but she missed horribly.

"I hate you!" She screamed, finally breaking. This nearly knocked Sora off his feet. Tears finally flowed freely from her eyes as she began to shake, fighting a losing battle with the sobs that choked her chest. "You have NO idea the hell I've been through!" She yelled. "I was betrayed by the man I loved so many years ago! He took me from my father, my friends, my LIFE! Do you think I like destroying worlds, Sora?! Do you think like doing to others what happened to me?!"

Sora just stared, shocked, speechless. What could he say to all this?

"All I've wanted was to go back to my old life! I want to be HUMAN again! I never wanted to do this…NEVER! And YOU!" she yelled, pointing a shaking finger at Sora, who just stared back. "Why do you have to be the Keyblade master?! Why do you have to be the one I fight?! I hate you, Sora! I hate you!" she grabbed her head in her hands and just shrunk to her knees, reduced to sobs. What had she become…?

Sora, Donald, and Goofy just stared, their jaws slightly agape. What did Toni mean about wanting to be human again? Sora just stared at the weeping girl on the ground, dumbstruck. He always knew Toni wasn't normal, but he never would have guessed she was inhuman. What could she—

It hit Sora like a ton of bricks, and he was surprised he never noticed before. When Toni destroyed his island, a Heartless crest mysteriously appeared on her chest. Almost every Heartless Sora has encountered had that same crest. No…she couldn't be, Sora though. He took a step forward, shocked beyond all belief. Toni's head snapped up to him and she glared at him.

"Stay away from me!" She yelled and threw a dark ball of energy at him. Sora just stood there, barely moving to avoid the attack. He just took another step forward, getting a half growl/sob from Toni.

"I mean it!" She yelled again and threw a bigger blast at him, but it didn't go anywhere near him. Sora guessed it was hard to aim with tears in her eyes. Or did she mean to miss him…? Sora knelt down in front of her, setting his Keyblade off to the side. Toni glared death at him, their eyes locked. Tears still flowed from her eyes as she fought back more cries in her chest. Sora just examined her eyes, trying so hard to read her. Try as she might, Toni couldn't keep the young hero out. She knew he was able to read her like a large print book at this point. Did she really care, though? After everything she's done to him, he was still here. After kicking him and punching him and trying to kill him, he was right in front of her, worry written all over his beautiful face.

"You don't really hate me…do you?" He asked. Toni kept her glare up for as long as she could. The force field around Donald and Goofy slowly disappeared as Toni's face softened and finally revealed the pained young girl underneath her tough-guy mask. She didn't hate Sora, not in the least. She hated Ansem for doing this to her, Maleficent for taking Riku from her, everyone else she hated but the boy in front of her, and she knew Sora could see it in her eyes. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks as she slowly shook her head, fighting back a sob. She lost. Sora wasted no time in taking the broken girl in his arms and holding on tight. Donald and Goofy rushed over behind him, torn between protecting Sora and consoling Toni. Toni tried to lose herself in Sora's arms as she held on for dear life, soaking his shoulder.

"Sora…" she sobbed. "Sora…please save me…"

* * *

_**"There's always something different going wrong. The path I walk's in the wrong direction. There's always someone fucking hanging on. Can anybody help me make things better? Your tears don't fall, they crash around me. Her conscience calls the guilty to come home. Your tears don't fall, they crash around me. Her conscience calls the guilty to come home."**_


	22. Fighting

**4 pages in word XD lots of breaks, some wtf moments, the works~ Nothing else to really say lol**

**Fighting - Yellowcard  
**

* * *

Riku stood outside Toni's room, just staring at the door, thinking. He should have listened to her, but he just got so angry! He regretted storming out and saying some of the things he said. He just needed to talk to her, to straighten things out. Maybe she really doesn't know where Kairi is or why Ansem wants her. He took a deep breath, hoping he would be forgiven. He opened the door to find the room empty. He looked around, but didn't see her. His eyes fell on the open balcony door, but he didn't see her outside. A dark thought passed through his mind for a brief moment before he let out a great sigh and closed the door behind him, hunkering down on her bed to wait.

--

Sora held onto Toni, and vice versa, for a very long time, even after Toni had stopped crying. Sora had no idea why he did what he did. All he knew is that he felt like he had to. Toni was so upset and seemed like she was almost ready to kill herself, he just couldn't walk away! They used to be friends, and maybe, after all this, they could still be friends. He saw what was really going on behind the scenes, and right then and there Sora made up his mind. He had to save her…take her from the world of darkness.

His mind then flashed back to a conversation him and Cid had earlier…

"_You guys ever hear of Maleficent?" Cid asked. Sora's eyebrow raised and Donald and Goofy looked at each other._

"_Who?" Sora asked._

"_She's a witch, the reason why all these Heartless are in town. She's been using them for years…"_

"_Really…?" Sora asked. Maybe Toni had some connection to this Heartless Witch._

"_Yea…I was driven out of my home world because of her…" Cid looked away, obviously trouble by his memories._

"_That's awful!" Donald exclaimed. Sora ran his fingers through his hair._

"_By…any chance, do you know if she has an apprentice?" He asked. Cid raised his eyebrow._

"_Not that I know of. But I know something that might help you there. The ruler of my world's name was Ansem, and he dedicated his life to studying Heartless. I don't know what happened to him when she used the Heartless to force us out. He made reports on them."_

"_Do you know where they are?" Goofy asked. Cid sighed and shook his head._

"_I don't know…Maleficent probably has most of them…"_

His mind drifted back to the present when Toni shifted slightly in his arms, taking a deep breath, though keeping her grip just as tight. Sora rested his head on hers. Maybe if he found Maleficent, he could save Toni somehow…

"Are you going to be okay…?" he asked softly. He felt Toni nod, but still make no attempt to move. Sora smiled softly and gently stroked her hair. It was funny how half an hour ago they were going at it like there was no tomorrow, and now here he was holding her as if she'd vanish if he let go. In all honesty, though, Sora didn't mind one bit! It reminded him of the old days on the island.

Toni was very comfortable, almost too comfortable. With the snap of a finger, her and Sora could be instantly transported to a world far away from here, from this stupid war, from the darkness Toni helped bring. That wouldn't be a wise idea, she reasoned with herself. She knew no matter how far she ran, the darkness would find her. This is why she needed to get out, but she can't do it alone. That and she had to go back for Riku, even if he did hate her now.

RIKU! Toni had almost forgotten about him! She suddenly, and reluctantly, pushed away from Sora, startling him.

"Toni, what—" he placed his hands on her arms, worry still in his eyes.

"I…I have to go." She interrupted and stood up. Sora stood up with her, his hands moving to her hips to steady her. Donald and Goofy twitched, ready to spring into action in case Toni reverted to her old ways.

"Go? But where? I thought—"

Toni just shook her head, trying to think, trying not to look up at Sora.

"I have to. I may not like it, but I'm bound by loyalty…" she said sadly. Donald and Goofy softened up a little…but only a little.

"But—"

"Sora." Toni said with a small laugh, interrupting him again. "You're…way too nice to me…after everything I've done to you…" she said and finally looked up at him, her eyes watering up again. Donald and Goofy softened up even more. Sora didn't know what to say. Toni gave him a pained smile and gently pushed her fingers against his cheek.

"But that's what I like about you…"

And then it happened. Sora didn't know if it was a dream, and neither did Toni, but all they knew is that it felt real. Never in a million years would Toni do this, Sora thought, so he had to be dreaming. She had kissed him. It was a soft and brief kiss, but it felt like it lasted a lifetime. A slight blush spread across the two teens faces. Donald and Goofy just stared. Toni pulled away and stroked his cheek again.

"Promise me you'll never change…"

Then she was gone, leaving Sora staring at the empty space she used to be. Donald began freaking out.

"What the heck just happened?!" He squawked, flapping his wings. "Toni is supposed to be our enemy! She just kissed you! Why would she do that?!" he asked as if Sora had the answers. Sora gently touched his lips while his brain processed what just happened.

As if it were a sign, the bell above the Gizmo Shop rang loudly, bringing Sky-boy back to reality. He looked up at the bell tower, still in a daze.

"Oh…we…should go check that out…" he said quietly and picked up his Keyblade, leading the way. Donald and Goofy followed, questions buzzing around in their heads as well. To them, this seemed like a set up. They doubted Toni was a damsel in distress like she made herself out to be. They still needed a great deal of proof. Things only ended badly when situations like this arose.

After battling through the Heartless infested Gizmo Shop, the trio made it up the ladder to the bell tower, where they were once again confronted by Heartless. Sora was on autopilot the whole time, so they were quickly taken care of. The group then moved the boxes blocking the giant golden bell.

"Do ya think it'll show us where the keyhole is?" Goofy asked. Donald shrugged as Sora inspected the rope attached to the bell.

"Only one way to find out…" he said and gave the heavy rope a hard tug. The bell rang, and nothing happened. He rang the bell again, and again nothing happened. Donald rubbed his ear as Sora rang the bell for a third time. Being under a giant bell while ringing it was NOT a smart decision. On the third ring, the youth finally got results. He felt the building they were on vibrate slightly as the back of the fountain turned to reveal a large keyhole. Sora grinned at his friends and took off towards it, his full attention back to his save-the-world task.

The group ran as fast as they could towards the keyhole, hoping to beat the Heartless to it. Unfortunately, it never happened that way. Guard Armor pieces fell from the sky and laid in the heroes path. Toni appeared shortly after, looking a bit irritated. Once she saw Sora, though, she smiled.

"Long time no see…"

"Hey…" Sora said, his Keyblade out and ready for battle. Toni snapped her fingers together softly, and the pieces started to come together to form the Guard Armor.

"Sorry to do this, but I do have orders. I can't let you get to the Keyhole."

Donald growled and was about to shout something at her, but Sora stopped him.

"I understand…" he said with a small smile. Toni tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced quickly at the Guard Armor. It twitched, then inverted itself, it's legs becoming it's hands and vice versa. It's body turned upside down, as did the head, giving it a more sinister look.

"Please win, Sora…" Toni said softly and vanished, leaving him, Donald and Goofy to face the much tougher Reverse Guard Armor. Of course I'll win, Sora thought. I have to save you, don't I?

Finally, after a lengthy battle and a few close calls, Sora and gang defeated the foe and locked Traverse Town. Instead of celebrating with his companions, Sora just stared at the softly glowing keyhole, his mind once again on Toni.

"What now?" Donald asked when he noticed Sora was off in lala-land. He quickly snapped out of his thoughts, though, and looked down at his feathered friend.

"I guess we go to the next world." He said with a smile. Donald and Goofy looked excited. This whole saving the worlds thing was fun…except, you know, for the whole crazy villainess after them.

---

Back at Hallow Bastion, Maleficent and Jafar were in the conference room, looking into the glowing cauldron. Toni stood at the back of the room, her leg twitching impatiently. She STILL hasn't been able to find Riku to talk to him. She was forced here by Maleficent to help aide Jafar in finding the keyhole of Agrabah, but Jafar had other plans.

"She'll only get in my way!" he hissed. Toni's hand twitched, the urge to slap the pompous advisor rising. Maleficent sighed and rubbed her temples.

"You obviously don't understand." She said, highly irritated. "Toni is very important in our mission. She distracts the Keybalde Master while you find the keyhole. And once it's found, she is to do what she is ordered to do." She said, shooting a glare Toni's way. "She WON'T interfere with your plans. Isn't that right, dear?"

Toni nodded, her leg still twitching. "I understand completely, Mistress…" she said. Maleficent grinned.

"That's my girl. Now, go get ready. You are to be back here in an hour. You are dismissed."

Toni bowed again and quickly left the room, walking briskly down the corridor towards her room. Before she got ready, she had to find Riku. That was top priority. She would take the punishment for being late.

Toni quietly entered her room and closed the door behind her. She saw her balcony doors open and Riku standing against the stone railing, looking over the edge. Butterflies starting fluttering around her stomach as she took a deep breath. She slowly walked out on the balcony, standing next to Riku and following his gaze. Riku saw her out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to her slightly, still not looking directly at her face. Toni kept her eyes locked on the Rising Falls.

"Hey…Riku…" she said quietly.

"Hey…"

The two finally looked to each others' eyes. Riku smiled softly and held his arm out, opening up for Toni to move in and hug him tight, her eyes welling up. Riku wrapped his arms around her like he hadn't seen her in ages. Toni let out a muffled cry as she held on for dear life.

"I'm so sorry for lying to you…" she said in a tear filled voice. Riku gently shushed her, gently stroking her hair.

"I'm sorry too, baby…I shouldn't have lost my temper like that…I should have heard you out…"

"I should have told you everything sooner…" Toni shook her head. She felt Riku chuckle and lightly kiss her neck.

"You can tell me now…" he said softly. Toni laughed softly.

"It's a long story."

"I've got all the time in the world." Riku said with a laugh. Toni took a deep breath and finally answered almost every question Riku had. No more secrets, she thought. Except one…

---

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stocked up on supplies and headed out to the new world. It was quite a long trip, but Sora didn't mind. It gave him time to think more. He sat at his usual spot, his eyes focused on the nothingness out the window. He kept replaying the scene from earlier today over and over in his head. He could still see her trembling body as she screamed at him, see ever tear she cried. What killed him the most was when she finally broke down and fell to her knees. He could swear he still felt her arms clutching him tightly as he heard her plea for help over and over in his head. Was her life really in his hands? Did she really want him to save her from the life she claimed to hate? They were supposed to be enemies. He couldn't save her if that were the case. But he couldn't just leave her to suffer more agony. He was so torn!

"What's that?!" Donald shouted from the cockpit. Sora jumped up and rushed to see what the commotion was. Sora stared at the black hole looking object with a worried look on his face. It didn't look too friendly.

"Maybe it leads to another world…" Goofy said nervously. Donald nodded and pressed a few buttons.

"Only one way to find out!" he said, and in they went.

---

Maleficent and Jafar walked the nearly deserted streets of Agrabah, giving harsh looks to anyone that got in their way. Heartless fodder, every one of them.

"The keyhole?" Maleficent asked, giving Jafar a side glance. Jafar grinned.

"The Heartless are searching for it now. I'm certain we'll find it soon enough, and without any trouble if that _girl_ does as she's told."

Maleficent shot him a look. Toni would do her job, Maleficent would make sure of it. Jafar straightened his robes.

"So that just leaves—"

"Jafar! The advisor was cut off by a red parrot flying towards the two. He landed on Jafars shoulder and took a moment to catch his breath.

"I've searched everywhere for Princess Jasmine. She's disappeared like magic!"

Jafar growled at his parrot. Now was not the time to be telling him bad news, what with his boss standing right next to him. Maleficent raised a pencil thin eyebrow at him.

"You said you had things under control…" she said in a cold voice. Jafar regained his composure and stood up straight.

"Agrabah is full of holes for rats to hide in. But why worry about Princess Jasmine? This world will be ours once we find the keyhole." He said with a thin-lipped grin. Maleficent glared at him.

"We need all seven Princesses of Heart to open the final door. Any fewer would be useless." She snapped. Jafar sighed and rubbed his head.

"If the princess is so important to us, then we'll find her."

Maleficent smiled and turned around. Toni walked up to the two, closely followed by Bandit and Shadow Heartless, a grin on her face.

"Yes, Mistress?" she asked in a sweet voice. Maleficent gently traced her cheek with a clawed index finger. Toni fought back a shudder.

"I have another mission for you." She said. Jafar stepped forward.

"Find the princess and bring her to me." He ordered. Toni raised an eyebrow at him, but a stern look from Maleficent told her to obey. She bowed her head slightly and motioned to the Heartless, who scattered.

"Thank you, darling…" Maleficent said. Toni bowed again and walked off, following the group of Bandits she dispatched. Maleficent then turned to Jafar, a solemn look on her face.

"Be careful, Jafar. If you stay in darkness too long, you'll end up like our dear Toni. Just leave the dirty work to her."

Jafar laughed lightly and smiled at Maleficent.

"Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." He said in a haughty tone. Maleficent shrugged her shoulder at him and vanished.

* * *

_**Said I'd move on and I'd leave it alone, but before I walk out there is something that I need you to know. I got lost in the blink of an eye and I could never get back, no I never got back. You were not there when I wanted to say that you were everything right and it wasn't you but me that changed. Now I gotta go it alone but I will never give up, no I'll never give up. What am I fighting for? There must be something more. For all these words I sing do you feel anything? Said I'm okay but I know how to lie. But I will never give up, no I'll never give up.**_


	23. Comatose

**After this chapter, it's back to business for our little Heartless, and back to the storyline! Geeze, she keeps making me lose track of the plot! xD teehee~ Agrabah was never one of my favorite worlds, but I didn't exactly hate it. It was just another world to get through lol Don't be surprised if the chapters seem rushed...oh, and cuteness will ensue at the end of this chapter :D if you have any song ideas, feel free to let me know~**

**Comatose - Skillet  
**

* * *

Sora and the gang finally landed safely at Agrabah. Sora couldn't help but look around as they entered the Bazaar. People walked from stall to stall, buying and selling and trading goods. It intrigued Sora for some reason. Donald, a little annoyed at Soras short attention span, pushed him forward to keep him moving. After all, they did have a mission.

The group headed to the next section of town, which was much emptier and quieter. Sora rubbed his head, a little confused.

"So…where are we supposed to look for the keyhole?" he asked. Donald and Goofy shrugged and got back to searching the place. Something, though, moved in the corner of their eyes. The three of them stopped in their tracks and stared at the pot that they THOUGHT they saw move.

"Is someone there? Hello?"

Sora, Donald and Goofy stared at the talking pot for the longest time. Of course they knew there was someone inside there. Well, at least Donald and Goofy did. Sora, on the other hand…

A girl from inside the pot lifted the lid off and stepped out. She looked like a princess from her outfit. She smiled at the trio, who just stared at her.

"I'm Jasmine. My father is the sultan of Agrabah." She said kindly. Oh, so she IS a princess. Her face then turned from kindness to sadness.

"But…he's been disposed by Jafar, who now controls the city…"

"Jafar?" Goofy asked. Sora rubbed his head. Why did that name sound familiar? Jasmine nodded.

"He was the royal vizier. He gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He's desperately searching for something called a keyhole? Jafar caught me trying to escape, then _he_ helped me…" Jasmine got this dreamy look in her eyes, the look of someone in love.

"Who saved you?" Sora asked. Jasmine seemed not to hear Sora, because she just kept on talking.

"We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to go take care of something…oh, I hope Aladdin is okay…" She said with a sad sigh.

"Aladdin? Where might I find this street rat?" came a sinister voice from the shadows. Out stepped Jafar with an arrogant air about him that choked everyone within a ten foot radius. Sora's eyes narrowed as he placed his hand on the hilt of the Keyblade. Donald and Goofy drew their weapons as well. Jafar just grinned evilly at the four of them then turned his dark gaze to a frightened Jasmine.

"Jasmine, allow me to find you more suitable company, dear princess. These little rats wont do, you see." He said in a silky smooth voice. Jasmine just glared at Jafar. Sora finally drew his weapon and moved between the two, Donald and Goofy joining him.

"Jasmine, run!" He called. Jasmine took off running, much to the despair of our little vizier. He glared at the heroes then got a look of surprise at the sight of the Keyblade.

"Ah, so the boy holds the key. Interesting…" Jafar just grinned and turned to leave. Before he was gone, Bandits and Shadows and Large Bodies swarmed the place, all going after Sora. Sora growled and quickly set to work bashing at the Heartless, trying to get rid of them so he could go have a few words with this Jafar character.

Once all the Heartless were defeated, Sora and company set off to look for Jafar and Princess Jasmine. They looked high and low, but couldn't find any sign of them. Finally, they looked inside a house high above the streets. Inside, there was a carpet struggling to get free from beneath what looked like a statue of some kind. Sora raised his eyebrow. A living carpet? That was interesting. The three of them worked to move the statue off of the poor carpet who, when free, didn't even say thank you. He just flew off.

"He's heading towards the desert!" Donald said. The three looked at each other, deciding what to do. "We should follow it!" Donald finally stated. And so off to the desert they went. Once there, they saw the carpet pointing frantically away from Agrabah. Goofy watched the panicking carpet for a while.

"Maybe it wants us to follow it…?" he asked. Sora grinned, knowing an adventure was just over the horizon.

"All aboard!"

It wasn't that long a fly until they reached where Carpet wanted them to go. Down below was a man trapped in quicksand. Before Carpet was able to land, Sora jumped off and towards the trapped man, Donald and Goofy right behind him. Before they could reach him, a whole swarm of Bandits appeared, blocking their passage. Sora growled in frustration and got to work. Once they were all done away with, Soras group again proceeded to try and help the man out.

"Gwarsh, not again!" Goofy cried out as more Heartless appeared. Sora sighed and threw his hands in the air.

"They always pick the worst moments!" he yelled, and him and his companions were off once again fighting back the Heartless. The man was finally able to free himself and pulled out a lamp from his pocket. He began to rub it furiously.

"Genie, get rid of these guys!" he cried. Blue smoke started pouring out of the lamp, and from the smoke rose the beloved Genie! With a joyous smile, he rubbed his hands together.

"Wish number one, coming right up!" and with a snap of his fingers, the Heartless vanished. Sora, who was in mid swing, fell to the ground, getting a lovely mouthful of sand. He quickly stood up and brushed himself off. The man walked over to him.

"Thanks for helping me out." He said with a smile. Donald and Goofy walked up behind Sora, brushing sand off of their clothes. Sora nodded.

"Are you Aladdin?" he asked quickly. The man blinked and nodded.

"Okay good, because Jasmine's in trouble!" he said and dragged Aladdin to the carpet, Donald and Goofy following close behind. Once the words were out of Soras mouth, though, dragging wasn't necessary. The group flew back to Agrabah as fast as they could. On the way, Sora explained exactly why Jasmine was in trouble, he explained the Heartless, the Keyhole, and the ongoing battle with darkness. Carpet flew them straight to Aladdins house where they'd have more time to talk.

Aladdin jumped off Carpet and stood in the middle of the room, anxious to get out and help Jasmine.

"So," he started. "Jafar is after Jasmine and this 'keyhole'?" he asked. Genie floated down next to him, stroking his mini-beard.

"Keyhole? Now where have I heard that before…?"

"You've heard it before?" Donald asked, hopeful to finally get more information. Genie smiled nervously.

"I don't remember. I mean, it's been about 200 years."

POP! That was Donalds bubble popping this time. Sora ran his fingers through his hair and looked outside. It had been a while since they landed in the sandy little town, and the sun was already set.

"We've got to stop Jafar before it's too late!" He said and turned back to Aladdin. Aladdin sighed and smoothed back his own hair.

"Yea…but it would be best to wait until morning. It's not safe to be out at night." Aladdin looked down. Goofy smiled a bit.

"Duh, yea…and we should rest up afore tomorrow. Ya know, in case there's fighting'."

Aladdin sighed again and plopped down on his bed. "Yea…you're right." He said sadly. "You three can sleep here for as long as you need." He said with a slight smile. Sora smiled back and helped Aladdin make a few cots. Soon after that, everyone was asleep. Well, everyone but Sora. He just couldn't fall asleep. He fell asleep once for about half an hour, but he started tossing and turning, weird images flashing behind his eyes. He had then decided to just lay there, staring out the window at the stars and moon. It was full tonight, and brighter than he had ever seen.

'Maybe I should go for a walk…to clear my head.' He thought and quietly left Aladdins little abode. He walked around the small down for a good while, sorting out his thoughts. He thought a lot lately. He suddenly stopped in the middle of the Bazaar as a thought crossed his mind: how did Toni feel about Sora? She called him a pain, a bitch, and stupid. Yet…she randomly shows up and tells him to win, to never change, to save her…was all of that an act? Or was her being a villain an act? Things didn't make sense. They never did when it came to Toni. Sora sighed and decided to walk down a small alley that led to an open storage area for the shopkeepers at the Bazaar. Against the far wall sat a dark figure. Sora could tell from the silhouette that it was definitely female. Her face was turned upwards towards the sky. Sora's hand twitched, ready to go for his Keyblade if needed. He saw the girl smile a bit.

"It's so pretty tonight, isn't it Sora?" Toni asked softly. She looked at him, her eyes glowing softly in the moonlight. Sora smiled and dropped his guard, looking up to the sky as well.

"Yea…"

Toni stood up and brushed herself off. Sora watched her for a moment, noticing for the first time in a long time how beautiful she really was. He wondered why she was here. She didn't seem to be on the offensive, and she wasn't upset. It must be something else. She slowly walked over to Sora and smiled up at him, her arms behind her back.

"I…came to thank you for yesterday." She said in a soft voice. Sora smiled and ran his fingers through his hair. Images flashed through his mind again…

"Don't mention it…" was all he could think so say. He tried really hard not to blush. She was kind of his first kiss. Go figure, his first kiss was with his enemy. Toni giggled as he lost the battle of the blush. She poked his cheek softly.

"Now why are you blushing, Sky-boy?" she asked playfully. Sora narrowed his eyes at her and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Gee, I wonder why." He said with a playful grin on his face. Oh great, now he was flirting with her! This time, it was Toni's turn to blush. A moment of silence passed between the two teens. They just stood there, looking at each other. Finally, Sora spoke up, his eyes soft and a caring smile on his face.

"So...do you still need me to save you?" he asked. Toni laughed softly and moved closer to Sora, her eyes going to he ground.

"Oh man…if only you could…" she said sadly. Sora gently lifted her chin to where she was looking him straight in the eyes. Her eyes really were a beautiful shade of gold, and around the center, he could see a hint of the violet he was so familiar with.

"Where there's a will, there's a way…" he said quietly. Toni smiled a real smile and slowly wrapped her arms around his waist in a gentle hug. Sora could really get used to this! He wrapped his arms tight around her shoulders and gently kissed the side of her head. Toni turned to face him, her face buried in his neck.

"You know this will never happen again, right?" she asked quietly, moving to look him in the eyes again. Sora smiled and moved closer to her.

"I know…so let's enjoy this while we can…"

And, once again, they kissed.

* * *

  
_**I hate feeling like this. I'm so tired of trying to fight this. I'm asleep and all I dream of is waking to you. Tell me that you will listen. Your touch is what I'm missing, and the more I hide I realize I'm slowly losing you. Comatose...I'll never wake up without an overdose of you! I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe, 'les I feel you next to me. You take the pain I feel. Waking up to you never felt so real. I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream, 'cause my dreams don't comfort me the way you make me feel. Waking up to you never felt so real...**_


	24. Famous Last Words

**Sorry if parts seem kind of rushed or shitty...I'm having a horrible day and could really care less right now. This chapter ends Agrabah, but begins a whole new set of problems for our heroes...and our little Heartless. I edited the Cave of Wonders drastically...meaning it's almost non-existent. Sorry about that...6 pages in word roughly.**

**Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance (amazing band to see live, by the way)  
**

* * *

The two remained lip locked for what seemed like years. It just felt so…right. Neither of them were in any hurry to let go of the other. Toni did feel a twinge of guilt about this. She had Riku, her Prince, and here she was with Sora. She would have to sort this out later. Then again…

Toni slowly broke the kiss and just looked up at Sora, pain once again showing on her face.

"Are you sure you know this can't happen again…?" she asked. Sora laughed and nodded.

"I know…"

"You're positive? You know we have to go back to being enemies and have to beat the shit out of each other?"

Sora laughed and shook his head. "I know, Toni. I just…let's make this moment last a bit longer, okay? I want to make you feel better. As you say, I'm too nice."

Ain't that the truth, Toni thought and smiled, but it was a sad one. She really didn't want to see Sora hurt emotionally. Physically was okay. Most physical wounds healed. Emotional wounds, though, were usually permanent. She knew it would happen. Sora said he knew what was coming, but Toni knew in the back of her head he would be in pain. Sora gently ran his fingers through Toni's hair, bringing her back to the little storage area, back to his arms.

"Are you sure, after this whole darkness thing is done with, we can't do this again…?" he asked with a chuckle. Toni laughed softly and laid her head on his shoulder, her grip tightening around his waist.

"You have to win first…" she said. Sora made a face as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Oh, I intend to. Not only will I save the worlds, but I'll save you, too...I promise…" He said with a smile. Toni didn't say anything. She just stood there in his arms, listening to his heart beat.

"It's going to be hard…" She said quietly. She felt Sora grin against her head.

"I can handle it…"

Toni moved to look up at him again. Before she could speak, Sora cut her off.

"Yes, I'm sure I can handle it." He said with a laugh. Toni smiled slightly, but it faded. She gently ran her fingers over his cheek.

"I really hope you can…" she said almost in a whisper. She gave him a final, light kiss, standing on her toes so she could press her cheek to the side of his head.

"Please don't forget this, Sora…no matter what…" and she was gone, almost causing Sora to fall forward. He just stared ahead at the wall, thinking again. No matter what…

The next day came all too soon for our young Keyblade Master. With only a few hours of sleep, fighting would be extremely difficult, and in this war, he couldn't afford to lose. Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin were up at the crack of dawn and ready to go out and search for Jasmine and the pompous vizier. Unfortunately, they had to wait for Sora, who awoke about two hours later. Lucky for him his friends didn't ask why. He didn't want them to ever know about his encounter last night. He didn't think they'd take to well to the two 'having a moment'.

The four slowly made their way down to the main street to being their search. They looked everywhere, but found no sign of Jasmine or Jafar. The only place left was the Palace Gates. The group headed to that area, and sure enough, Jafar was there, holding the princess hostage. The evil vizier snickered as Aladdin ran to the front of the group, his sword drawn and ready for a fight.

"Setting your sights a little high, eh street rat?" he sneered. Jasmine tried to get out of Jafars grip.

"I'm so sorry, Aladdin!" she managed to say before Jafar reeled her back in, holding her tighter so she wouldn't escape. Aladdin secretly pulled the lamp from his pocket and rubbed it.

"Genie!" He whispered. "Get Jasmine outta here!"

Like magic, Genie appeared behind Jafar and hoisted Jasmine to safety, cradling her in his arms with a goofy grin.

"One wish left! You're making this really easy, you know?" he said with a laugh. The heroes smiled, glad to have Jasmine safe. Jafar just…laughed. Sora raised his eyebrow. He just lost the princess, why was he laughing?

"So sorry, boy, but I'm afraid your second wish has been denied!" As Jafar spoke, his trusty parrot, Iago, stole the lamp right from Aladdins hands and dropped it into Jafars, turning over control of the Genie. Genies jaw dropped.

"I'm…sorry, Al…" he said sadly and vanished, dropping Jasmine back beside Jafar. A group of Heartless suddenly appeared in the area, surrounding the four heroes. On the other side of Jafar stood Toni, her arms crossed over her chest and a grin on her face. Sora's heart jumped at seeing Toni on the dark side, but then he remembered.

"And now, I bid you farewell. Toni, you know what to do. Jafar said and disappeared, taking Jasmine with him. Toni took a few steps forward, sending the Heartless into a frenzy.

"Hello again, Sky-boy." She said with a playful grin. Sora reluctantly took out his Keyblade, ready for battle. Donald and Goofy noticed his hesitation and glanced at each other. He never hesitated when it came to battling Toni. What was up…? Toni noticed as well and glared at him.

"If you hold back, Sora, so help me I'll pound you into oblivion." She said menacingly. Donald and Goofy stepped up beside Sora, ready to fight.

"No one's gonna hold back!" Donald yelled.

"Yea! We're gonna beat you once and for all and save the worlds!" Goofy added. Aladdin, without a word, moved to one side of the heroes and stood ready to fight. Toni snickered and got in a fighting stance herself.

"Bring it on, then…" she said. And the battle began. All the Heartless in the area swarmed the four, distracting them while Toni charged, her menacing sword forming in her hand again. The Heartless targeted Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin, leaving Sora for Toni. He didn't feel too bad about landing blows, and he didn't expect Toni to either. In fact, he KNEW she didn't feel bad. He could feel it, and it was rather painful. She was so much stronger than the last time they met.

In a matter of minutes, all the Heartless were done away with, leaving Toni to stand alone against the four. She glared at every one of them, trying to assess the situation. Suddenly, Goofy charged at her. Toni barely dodged his attack, only to have to avoid a flaming ball of magic. Sora and Aladdin took that moment to double team her. Luckily, Aladdins sharp sword only caught her long skirt, but Sora's Keyblade made full contact with her shoulder, sending her to the ground.

"Dammit!" She cursed. The four of them were on her again, shooting magic and swinging their weapons at weak spots. Okay, this was totally unfair. With a burst of energy, Toni blew them back and flew up to the top of a shack, her eyes glowing bright gold.

"Don't think this means you've won!" she shouted down at the four. Donald shot another blast of magic at her, but she disappeared before it could make contact. The all waited for a while, making sure she was really gone. High-fives were shared all around once the coast was clear.

"Boy, was she tough this time!" Goofy said as he slung his arm over a grinning Sora's shoulder. Aladdin, though, wasn't celebrating. He frantically looked all around the area for any sign of where Jafar had gone with Jasmine.

"Jasmine!" he called over and over again, hoping to get some sort of answer. Sadly, only the dull murmur of the town replied. Sora felt bad for Aladdin, as did Donald and Goofy. Suddenly, Jafar's evil laughter resonated through the entirety of Agrabah, only strongest near the desert. Without a world, the group took off towards the desert as fast as they could. They had to stop Jafar before he got to the keyhole! Outside the town entrance, Carpet was waiting to fly the group to the source, the Cave of Wonders.

The four had the hardest time navigating the different corridors of the monstrous cave. They fought their fair share of Heartless, and got lost more than once. They found countless treasures, observed beautiful natural formations. Sometimes Sora got lost on purpose just to see more of the cave.

Deep inside the wondrous cave, Jafar stood in the center of a large cavern, Jasmine unconscious at his feet. He held up the golden lamp that Aladdin once possessed, and a very unhappy Genie floated just above Jafar.

"Now Genie, show me the Keyhole!"

Genie sighed and covered his eyes with one hand. With the other, he shot a beam of magic at the back wall, melting the sand away and revealing a large stone keyhole. Jafars evil grin widened.

"Finally…I've found it!"

As if on cue, Maleficent and Toni both appeared in the area. Maleficent smiled at the proud Jafar. Toni just stood there, staring at the keyhole.

"Well done, Jafar." Maleficent said and walked over to the keyhole, Toni followed beside her. Jafar joined them on the raised platform in front of their destination.

"All we have to do is unlock it, and then this world will be ours…" Maleficent said with a grin and turned to the still unconscious Jasmine.

"Toni, take her back to the castle." She ordered. Toni nodded solemnly and went to grab Jasmine. Just as she picked up the princess, Sora and company entered the chamber. Toni gasped when she saw Aladdins enraged face.

"That boy again?!" Maleficent said in surprise. Sora stopped in his tracks when he saw Toni. His eyes then traveled up to Maleficent. Him and her both glared at Toni.

"You were supposed to dispose of him!" She yelled. Toni grunted and shifted Jasmines weight.

"Well, he's a lot stronger than he looks, Mistress!" She said, hiding discontent in her voice. Taking his chance, Aladdin ran towards Toni, but she stopped him with a Darkball right to the gut, sending him flying back to the others. Donald and Goofy helped him up quickly and held him back so he wouldn't try that again.

"Are you…Maleficent?" Sora asked. Maleficent just smirked.

"Toni, to the castle." She said and disappeared, shortly followed by Toni and Jasmine

"No!" Aladdin shouted and rushed forward. Of course, he was too late. He glared up at Jafar, his body shaking with rage.

"Bring Jasmine back now, Jafar!" he yelled. Jafar just laughed.

"I don't think so! You see, she's a Princess of Heart—one of seven who can help us open the door."

Everyone just stared at the vizier.

"Open…?" Goofy asked. "The door…?" Donald finished. Whatever that was, they didn't like the sound of it. He let out a bark of a laugh.

"But you fools won' live to see the day that happens! Genie! My second wish! Crush them!" he ordered. Genie groaned and rubbed his forehead. Aladdin looked pleadingly to his old friend.

"Genie, no!" he pleaded. The Genie looked down at him, pained.

"Sorry, Al. The one with the lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice…" he said sadly and started swinging his arms rather carelessly at the heroes. Don't tell Jafar, but Genie was trying to miss on purpose. In the midst of Genie 'attacking', Jafar seized his moment to attack as well. Genie wasn't too much of a problem, seeing as every time he made contact with someone, he healed whatever damage they had taken. Jafar, on the other hand, wasn't so nice. He his attacks made contact, they hurt…a lot. Sora had some problems with the pesky vizier, but him and his gang finally delivered the last blow, sending Jafar flying to the middle of the cavern. He growled and glared death at the heroes.

"Genie!" He bellowed. "My last and final wish! I want you to make me an all-powerful genie!"

Oh crap. That was NOT good! Genie's jaw dropped, but because he was bound by the lamp, he had to obey. With a heavy sigh, he shot a beam of magic at the crazed man. When the magic made contact, the sheer power shattered the bottom of the cavern, opening up another area filled with boiling lava and large platforms. Jafar and the Genie fell down below, vanishing from sight. Sora and company looked down into the ominous new sub-cavern. They then looked at each other, unsure of what lay ahead of them.

"Well, let's get this over and done with!" Sora said and jumped in. Donald gulped and followed en suit, Goofy and Aladdin right behind him. The group landed in the middle of the large stone platform. Smaller platforms connected to it rose and fell with the lava tide. Off to the far left, Iago struggled to stay in the air while carrying a black and pointy lamp. Aladdin was the first to spot him.

"The lamp!" he called to the others. "Go for the lamp!"

They tried, they really did, but Jafar didn't make things very easy for them. He kept hurtling smoldering boulders at them and blowing fire. Finally, a few dozen singed hairs and burnt feathers later, Aladdin finally got Jafar's lamp from Iago. Jafar gasped.

"No!"

Aladdin tossed the lamp to Sora, who held it high above his head.

"Okay, Jafar! Back to your lamp!"

With a horrible yell, Jafar slowly returned to his lamp. Sora grinned at the others and handed the black lamp back to Aladdin, who chucked it into the lava.

"Duh, maybe we should go lock the keyhole, Sora!" Goofy said. Sora nodded and looked up to the hole in the roof. Luckily, Carpet peeked over the edge and flew down to the rescue. He flew them right up to the keyhole. Sora took out his Keyblade and sighed.

"Sorry, Toni…" he muttered to himself. "I can't let you win…" he raised his Keyblade, letting a beam of blue light shoot from the tip and into the waiting keyhole. The keyhole clicked and slowly disintegrated into nothing more but a wall of sand. Suddenly, the whole cave started to shake, dropping large rocks from the ceiling. Goofy quickly put his shield over his head while everyone else panicked.

"Gwarsh! We'd better get outta here!" without another word, everyone piled onto Carpet just in the nick of time. Any later and they would have been hero pancakes. It was tricky getting out of the dying cave. Carpet had to navigate falling boulders the size of mini vans and sprouts of boiling lava. They made it out with plenty of time to spare. As they flew away, they watched as the mighty cave crumbled into nothing more than a pile of sand. The Carpet flew back to Agrabah, taking the heroes back to Aladdins house. Everyone stepped off, their adrenaline still pumping from the flight.

"Jasmine's not in Agrabah anymore, right? We have to go find her!" Aladdin said in a panic. Sora, Donald and Goofy looked at each other, unsure of how to break the news to him.

"I'm…sorry Aladdin. But you can't come with us…" Sora said sadly. Aladdins face dropped.

"What…? Why?" he asked, a little angry. Goofy twiddled his thumbs.

"I sure wish we could…"

"But we can't." Donald cut in, trying to sound apologetic. "If we take you to another world, that would be—"

"Muh…mudd—"

"Meddling!" Donald said in an irritated voice to Goofy. Aladdin sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. Sora took a small step forward, trying to find a way to make Aladdin feel better.

"We'll find Jasmine…I promise!" he said. Aladdin's face didn't lift a bit. Genie pat him on the back.

"Uh, earth to Al! You still have one wish left!" he said happily, hoping to cheer his friend up. "Just say the word; ask me to find Jasmine for you!"

Aladdin's eyes fell to the ground as he thought long and hard about his decision. Finally, he looked up at his floating blue friend.

"Genie…I wish…"

Genie pretended to roll up his sleeves.

"For your freedom!" Aladdin finished. Genies jaw dropped as he turned to Aladdin like he was crazy! Sora and the others just smiled.

"Al!" Genie said in shock. Suddenly, light blue smoke surrounded the golden cuffs around Genies' wrists, breaking them. Legs formed under his torso and he slowly floated to the ground. Genie stared at his new appendages, fighting back tears. Aladdin just smiled at him.

"A deal's a deal, Genie. Now you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master. But, if you can, it'd be great if you could go along with them and help Sora find Jasmine…" he said with a hopeful smile. Genie stroked his beard for a while, adding suspense to the situation. Finally, he crossed his arms across his chest and turned his back to his human friends.

"Sorry Al. I'm done taking orders from others." He said in an uncaring voice. Aladdin looked disappointed, as did Sora, Donald and Goofy. "But…" Genie said with a smile and turned to them. "A favor, now that's an entirely different story!"

Aladdins hopes were raised tenfold. Smiles formed on Sora, Donald and Goofy's faces. Aladdin wiped a tear from his eye.

"Genie…"

"Just leave it to me!" Genie said and pat Aladdin on the shoulder. Aladdin smiled up at his friends, then to his new ones standing before him. He felt so blessed at this moment.

---

Maleficent, Toni, Hades, and Riku stood in the center of the dark meeting room, looking over the black glowing cauldron. Hades smirked and crossed his arms across his chest.

"That smarmy vizier could've had them if SOMEONE had stuck around to give him a hand." He said and shot Toni a look. She returned it wholeheartedly.

"Hey, I had different orders, and they said nothing about helping that creep." She snapped. Maleficent raised a hand to silence the two.

"Jafar was beyond help." She said coolly. "He was consumed by his own hatred. One should beware of letting it burn too brightly." She said and gave Hades a sideways glance. He raised his hands and took a step back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, lighten up! I'm as cool as they come!" He said and smoothed back his fiery hair. He then turned to Riku with a grin, which made Toni's stomach churn. "By the way, we have something for you, kiddo." He said. Riku raised his eyebrow and took a step forward.

"What..?" he asked cautiously. Hades snapped, and a picture of an unconscious Kairi floated above the green mist that flowed from the cauldron. Riku gasped and tried to grab at the picture, but it vanished. Maleficent smiled at the dark prince.

"Go to her. Your vessel is waiting."

Riku glanced back at Toni, who kept her eyes averted to the ground. Riku looked back to Maleficent, noticing someone new in the room behind her, Captain Hook.

"Just remember," Hook spoke up, gathering the attention of all four members. "This is no pleasure cruise. It won't be a pleasant voyage." He said and twisted his thin mustache. Riku looked questioningly at Maleficent, ignoring Toni's distrusting look.

"Why are you doing this for me? What's the catch…?" he asked. Maleficent laughed.

"There is no catch, my boy. Consider this a reward for your help with our little mission. Besides, you're like a son to me. I only want you to be happy…" she said and toyed with a strand of his silvery hair. Toni stepped forward, protectively grabbing Riku's arm as he pushed Maleficents hand away. Toni didn't like this one bit. She knew Maleficent was up to something. This didn't feel right, but Toni seemed to be the only one that noticed. Riku turned to Toni, who looked back with worry.

"Don't worry about me, babe. I'll be fine." He said with a smile. Toni smiled back and gently kissed him.

"The first sign of trouble, you better find a way to contact me…" she whispered in his ear. Riku nodded slightly and squeezed her hand before walking away with Hook. Maleficent smiled and put her hand on Toni's shoulder.

"Don't worry your pretty little head off, dear." She said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "your precious Prince will be more than fine."

Toni didn't say anything. She knew a lie when she heard one, and this had to be the biggest lie ever told.

* * *

_**Now I know that I can't make you stay. But where's your heart? But where's your heart? But where's your-- And I know There's nothing I can say to change that part...to change that part...to change...So many bright lights, they cast a shadow. But can I speak? Well is it hard understanding I'm incomplete. A life that's so demanding...I get so weak. A love that's so demanding. I can't speak! I am not afraid to keep on living. I am not afraid to walk this world alone. Honey if you stay, I'll be forgiven. Nothing you can say can stop me going home.**_


	25. Monstrous Monstro

**Ah this is such a short chapter! I'm sorryyyyy! I had to write this one from scratch because the previous chapter what the last one I wrote like 3 years ago lol I wanted to get the intro to Monstro done and out of the way, so here it is! This is going to be a very, VERY interesting world to write~ the chapter title is right off the Kingdom Hearts sountrack...I couldn't find a song that suited this, and it was too short for one lol Enjoy~**

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The trio boarded the Gummi Ship after saying goodbye to their new friend and receiving a few heartfelt gifts. Sora was exhausted from the battle, so he decided to try and sleep it off while Donald took control of the ship. His dreams, on the other hand, had different plans. Images flashed by so quickly Sora felt dizzy trying to make sense of the pictures. He knew he saw Toni in there more than once. One image, though, jarred him awake. No…no it wasn't the image. The Gummi Ship had been hit by something! Sora shot up and looked out the window. He saw what looked like a giant grey blob next to the ship. He rushed to the cockpit.

"What what that?" he asked. Donald looked out the window just as a huge whale swam by. Sora's eyes went wide.

"It's huge!" he said in awe. The whale cleared the ship and seemed to be swimming away.

"It's a whale!" he stated. Donald and Sora nodded, just watching it.

"I think it's called Monstro." Donald said, scratching his head. "I think I read about him somewhere…"

The whale did a 180 and started to swim right towards them. The three then began to panic.

"Whoa! Get us out of here!" Sora nearly yelled. Donald squawked.

"Too late! He's going to swallow us!"

The giant whale opened its mouth wide and swallowed the ship whole, throwing the trio into darkness and tossing the ship about violently, knocking its inhabitants out cold. Sora began to dream again…

"_It's true! I saw it with my own eyes!" A young Sora said to an equally young Riku as they stood outside of the secret cave. Riku just looked at his friend, his hands on his hips._

"_You sure you didn't just hear it this time?" he asked, not believing his friend. Sora stamped his foot._

"_What difference does it make?! There's a monster in there, I tell you!" He whined. Riku sighed and shook his head._

"_All right, suppose there really IS a monster…do you think we can beat it ourselves, Sora?" he asked, his crystalline eyes going to the entrance of the cave. Sora smiled and pretended to punch the air._

"_No problem! Let's do it!" he said, then suddenly got quiet. "Listen! There! You can hear it growling!" he said in an excited whisper._

"_Sh, quiet! We gotta be careful…" Riku said and slowly started to walk into the cave, Sora right behind him. The two young boys finally made their way into the cave and looked around. The monster roared again, and Sora clung to his best friend, scared. Riku looked up to the hole in the roof of the cave and saw the palm trees above swaying gently. He laughed slightly and pointed up._

"_See that? It was just the wind making that noise." He said. Sora let go of him and looked up, slightly disappointed._

"_Aw, man. I wish it WAS a monster!" he said and sighed. He then spotted a strange wooden door at the back of the cave. "Hey, what's that over there?" he asked. Riku looked at the door and tilted his head to the side. He walked over to the door and examined it._

"_A window? Or a door?" he said and pulled on it wherever his fingers would find anchor. "It won't open…"_

_Sora sighed and looked around the cave. "Geeze, is that really all there is in here?"_

"_What do you expect in a boring place like this?" Riku said and rubbed his head. He then looked to his friend, who busied himself with examining rocks. "Hey, Sora."_

"_Hm?" Sora turned to his friend._

"_When we grow up, let's get off this island! We'll go on real adventures, not this kid stuff!" he said with a twinkle in his eye. Sora smiled wide as they headed out of the cave._

"_Sure! But isn't there anything fun to do here?" He asked. Riku was about to answer, but Sora cut him off. "Hey, you know that new girl at the mayors house?"_

Sora finally came too inside the belly of the beast. He groaned and rubbed his head, crinkling his nose at the odd smell. He lifted his head to see Donald tapping his foot, annoyed. He was looking up at a wooden structure.

"Knock it off!" He yelled angrily. Sora sat up, still holding his head. He must have hit it pretty hard.

"Hey, Sora. You okay?" Goofy asked. Sora nodded and stood up, brushing off his clothes.

"What are you guys doing? Where are we, anyway?" he asked, looking around. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a potion flew right towards Sora, barely missing him. Sora jumped back slightly and looked up to the wooden structure.

"Uh, ya know, I think that big ol' whale Monstro just swallowed us. And for today's weather: expect showers." He said, holding his shield up to protect his head. It was a smart move, because another item flew from the wooden structure and landed on Goofy's shield.

"Heavy showers!" Goofy added. Donald growled.

"Hey! Who's there?!" he called. The three hero's looked to the top of the structure to see a little wooden puppet boy poke his head over the edge.

"It's me!" the puppet called. The trio all raised their eyebrows at the same time. The puppet noticed. "Pinocchio!" he added and began to walk away. Donald started.

"Wh…after him!" he said and tried to make his way after the little boy. He stopped, though, when he noticed they'd have to swim through a mystery liquid. Sora cringed. This was going to be a very interesting, and gross, adventure…

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**Man, I have an interview in the morning and here I am updating! You guys better feel loved XP once again I'm really sorry for the short chapter D: scold me if you must~ I'll start working on the next one right now, I promise :D Reviews make Newin happy~**

**Seeker-Of-The-Heart: I so enjoy your reviews. XD I'm really glad you like the story~  
**


	26. This Love, This Hate

**I stayed up extra late just to get this chapter out! Feel special! It is like 5:10 am as I type this lol this is the entire Monstro world, and then some, probably one of my longest chapters yet I think...I have to go back and check xD I wouldn't doubt it...5 pages in word! This chapter, Riku's the main focus, but why? Is he okay? Well, you'll just have to read to find out! **

**I'm so so sorry if it seems rushed. I have alot going on this week, and I'm afraid it showed! D: This chapter was completely written from scratch. Princess of Darkness stopped at 25, and now that I've gotten farther, it'll take a while for updates, especially with me going to Alabama soon for vacation, but I'll still be able to write and update! If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! :D Oh, and I jumped the gun and have written the final chapter! But you can't see that now~ anyway, enjoy!  
**

**This Love, This Hate - Hollywood Undead, the most amazing band ever!  
**

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Riku had plenty of time to think on the way to his destination. He had been noticing a change in Toni lately, and he was pretty sure he knew what it was. She had fallen for Sora. He had no idea when or where it happened, but all he knew is that it happened. It hurt just to think about it. He really did love Toni, even more so when she told him her story. He vowed to help her. But the lie she had told him about Kairi always stuck with him in the back of his head. He still wasn't over that, and in his mind, if she lied to him about that, maybe she was really lying about her feelings for him. That would totally tear him apart if that were true…but he couldn't rule that possibility out. He had to find out the truth, but not from Toni. He now he had to change his focus. He had another young woman to worry about, a red head whom his princess had taken from him. He had to find her, with or without her help. He would do anything now, even if it meant going deeper into darkness.

'_Whatever you do, please stay as far as you can from the darkness, Riku…'_ Toni's voice echoed in his head. _'I don't know what I'd do if I lost you to it…'_

Well, there was only one way to find out, Riku thought grimly. He hated thinking like this. He always felt so guilty! He had been with Toni for so long, he'd helped her through so many rough times, comforted her, laughed with her, cried with her, always with her. They were like best friends, lovers, and now here he was, doubting everything they had been through.

"Everything happens for a reason…" he muttered darkly as his assignment came into view.

---

The little puppet wandered off to a shipwreck inside of the giant whale, carrying a large and heavy looking block. An elderly man stood by a desk, looking over a few old papers. He noticed the boy and smiled.

"What have you got there, Pinocchio?" he asked in a fatherly voice. The puppet set the big block, a Gummi block, at the man's feet.

"With this, we can get out of here, Father!" He said excitedly. The elderly man laughed and examined the block.

"With this?" he asked, looking closely at the oddly colored building material.

"It's true." Sora said from the ships edge. Him, Donald and Goofy were hanging off the edge, watching the two. The old man looked up, a bit surprised. "So, how did you get here?" he asked the two. The old man sighed and shook his head.

"Oh, my. So the whale swallowed you, too. My goodness…" he said and rubbed his head. Sora shrugged his shoulders and climbed onto the ship.

"Looks like it." He said with a smile. The old man laughed slightly.

"My name is Geppetto." He said. "I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over, looking for him. Thank goodness we're together again." He said with a happy smile. While introductions were being made and stories being shared, Pinocchio spotted movement from the corner of his eye. It looked like a blur of silver hair, but he couldn't be sure. Curiosity got the best of the little puppet, and he wandered off after the blur, into another chamber of the whales' insides.

"So, you seem to know Pinocchio quite well. I hope he was a good boy in my absence." He said with a laugh, moving the large Gummi block. "Well, we've all had quite an adventure, right Pinocchio?" No answer. Geppetto's face dropped. "Pinocchio?" Nothing. Sora and company added the worried man in searching for his son, but with no luck.

"Oh dear…" Geppetto said, worried. Sora smiled and jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"Don't worry, Geppetto. We'll find him!" he said with a smile. Geppetto smiled back, though it was still a worried one. Sora, Donald, and Goofy searched the whole area before traveling deeper inside the whale. In the first chamber they came to, they saw Pinocchio near the back, looking at the way to the next chamber. Sora sighed.

"Pinocchio, what are you doing? C'mon, let's get back." He said in as stern a voice as he could muster up. He obviously wasn't close to being father material yet.

"You know, Geppetto's awfully worried about you." Goofy added, going for the guilt factor. Nothing. The puppet boy just stared into the next area. Sora grew a tad annoyed. Ugh, kids…

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around! This is no time for games." He said more seriously and turned to leave, expecting the boy to follow. He hadn't even taken a step when a blast from the past reached his ears.

"But, Sora, I thought you liked games. Or are you too cool for them now that you have the Keyblade." The voice sounded playful, but Sora could hear resentment. The Keyblade master wheeled around and saw none other than his long lost friend, Riku, grinning at him. Pinocchio stood behind him, not sure what was going on. Sora's jaw dropped. He'd found Riku again!

"Riku! Wh-what are you doing here?!" He stammered, caught between excitement and shock. Riku smirked.

"Just playing with Pinocchio." He said cooly. Sora made a face. He seemed…different.

"You know what I mean! What about Kairi? Did you find her?" He asked, eager for more information about his long lost, but never forgotten, friend. Riku narrowed his eyes at him and pretended to examine his nails, acting like he didn't care. That hurt Sora.

"Maybe." He said, then shot a grin up at Sora. "Catch us and maybe I'll tell you what I know." He said and grabbed Pinocchios arm and took off. Sora and companies jaws dropped. He was acting like the bad guy!

"Oh come on!" Sora shouted after him, but Riku was long gone. Sora grunted and took off after him. In the next chamber, though, he saw no sight of them or a clue as to where they might have gone. Sora groaned. This could take a while…

Riku stood in another chamber with none other than Maleficent. He had lost Pinocchio, but was confident that he'd find him again. Maleficent grinned down at the silver haired youth.

"Why do you still care for that boy?" she asked. "He had all but deserted you for the Keyblade and his new companions, after all." She said, filling his head with more lies. She knew him and Toni had been on the rocks since the little Kairi fiasco, and now was a good time to take advantage of him. He was lost at the moment, and would more than likely believe anything she told him.

"I don't care about him. I was just messing with him a little." He said coldly. He had taken lessons from Toni, and they were paying off well. He had taken lying lessons as well. Sora was his best friend, of course he cared. But…he DID seem to care more about the Keyblade than him, Kairi, and Toni...

"Oh really?" Maleficent said with a grin. "Of course you were…" she saw straight through his lie, but Riku could care less right now. "Beware of the darkness in your heart. The Heartless prey on it." She said, the same exact words Toni always told him, but in a more indirect way. Riku glared up at her.

"Mind your own business." He snapped. Maleficent shrugged and formed a dark portal, into which she stepped and vanished. Just as she did, Pinocchio ran in, closely followed by Sora. He stopped when he saw Riku, a confused and hurt look on his face. Pinocchio ran behind Riku again, staring at Sora.

"Riku! What's the matter with you? What are you thinking? Don't you realize what you're doing?" he asked, hoping to talk some sense into his once best friend. He said once because he was sure Riku was against him in this battle against darkness…Pinocchio sensed the tension in the air and took that moment to flee into the next chamber. Riku glared at Sora.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. You only seem interested in running around and showing off that Keyblade these days. Do you even want to save Kairi?"

Sora gasped, taken totally off guard. Donald and Goofy looked shocked as well. Sora got a very hurt expression on his face.

"Of course I do…" he said quietly. He has to save Toni too. He wondered if Riku knew that…

Suddenly, Pinocchio yelled from the next chamber, interrupting the little argument between Sora and Riku. The two temporarily put aside their differences and rushed to the little puppets aid. In the next chamber, the group sees Pinocchio trapped inside what looks like a Heartless cage. Sora quickly took out his Keyblade at the same time Riku took out his sword. The two glanced at each other as Donald and Goofy readied their weapons as well.

"You up for this?" Riku asked, knowing it was a stupid question. Sora grinned at his friend.

"No problem. Let's do it!"

The four of them got to work bashing away at the Parasite Heartless, having a hard time avoiding the large appendages the Heartless used as weapons. Only the very top of the Heartless was vulnerable, and it was a bitch to get to! Riku really did help, though, by distracting the Heartless for Sora and his group to go after the top. Sora found it awkward, though, to fight next to Riku. It didn't feel right anymore. Something felt…off. He couldn't put his finger on it. His moves seemed different as well, like he was thinking too much about something…

Finally, Riku delivered the final blow to the Heartless. It rose to the top of the chamber, spitting Pinocchio into the hole where it once stood. Wasting no time, Riku dove after it. Sora, though, watched as the Heartless vanished into a hole in the roof. He growled and then turned his attention to the hole in the floor. Donald and Goofy quickly jumped in, followed closely by Sora.

The hole led back to the shipwreck in the whales mouth. What Sora saw shocked him beyond all belief. Riku stood on a high platform, in front of another entry way to another part of the whale. He had a limp Pinocchio under his arm, his cold blue eyes staring down at his upset father.

"Please!" Geppetto pleaded. "Give me back my son!"

"Sorry, old man." Riku said coldly. "But I have some unfinished business with this puppet."

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy!" Geppetto nearly yelled, almost to the point of tears. Riku looked like he could care less as he looked down at the puppet.

"He's unusual…" he said, in thought again, ignoring the pained and angered look he was getting from Sora and his new friends. He was beyond caring. He was so confused, lost, lonely…he had only one mission. "Not many puppets have hearts. Maybe he can help someone who lost theirs." He said and looked directly at Sora, who paled.

"Wait a minute…are you talking about Kairi?!" He asked, shocked. He knew Toni had lost her heart years ago, and there was no hope of getting it back. He couldn't mean her! Kairi had lost her heart…that tore Sora up inside. Knowing Toni was the one who took her, it was hard for him to remember that she was in danger as well. Riku glared at him, easily reading his eyes from as far away as he was.

"What do you care about her?" He snapped, meaning both Kairi and Toni. With that, he disappeared into the chamber he was outside of. Sora just stared. He couldn't believe it! Kairi…lost her heart. More than likely because of Toni…that just killed him inside. Geppetto turned to Sora, worried out of his mind.

"Please! You have to save Pinocchio!" he said. Sora looked at him and nodded once. Donald and Goofy looked worried as well, but for Sora as well as Pinocchio. Without another word, the group made their way into the chamber Riku disappeared into. Once inside, Sora and company see Riku standing across the room, Pinocchio laying limp against the wall. Riku is just staring at the group, his eyes colder than Sora had ever seen them. Something HAD to be wrong…

"Let Pinocchio go, Riku!" Sora demanded. Riku just stared at him, sending chills up and down Donald and Goofy's spine.

"A puppet that's lost his heart to the Heartless." He said coolly. "Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi."

Sora's eyes narrowed at him. Riku just smirked

"How about it, Sora?" He asked, crossing his arms across his chest. "Let's join forces to save Kairi. We can do it together. We might even be able to save Toni…" he added, suddenly becoming very serious. Sora's heart skipped a beat at Toni's name. So, Riku DID know…but, just how far was he willing to go to save his friends? Sora sighed and took out his Keyblade, ready for the fight of his life. Riku's eyes widened.

"What? You'd rather fight me over a puppet that has no heart?" He asked, genuinely shocked. But he shouldn't be, and he knew it. But, why was he? He should have expected this from Sora. So many things were going on inside his head, it was almost too much to handle. Sora just stared at him.

"Heart or no heart, he still has a conscious." Sora said shortly. Riku raised his eyebrow.

"Conscious?" he asked.

"It may be small, and you might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear, and it's telling me you're on the wrong side!" Sora nearly yelled, finally coming to terms that Riku was his enemy now, too. Enemies with the same goal…Sora had NO idea how that worked. It was going to be interesting, that's for sure! The two 'friends' stared at each other for the longest time, both having internal wars. Riku wanted so bad to save Kairi, and even Toni, no matter what the cost. But Sora…he was hesitant. Sora, on the other hand, saw things very differently. Riku finally narrowed his crystalline eyes.

"Then you leave me no choice…" he said in a dark voice, almost scaring Sora and his group. Sora just stared, slack jawed.

"…you're not Riku." He finally said, shaking his head. Riku just laughed.

"What? You don't remember your old friend?" he asked.

"LIAR!" Sora shouted. Now it all made sense. "You're not Riku!"

Little Pinocchio started to stir, though it was very little. He had almost no strength left.

"Pinocchio!" Goofy called. Pinocchio barely had enough strength to respond.

"I'm not…gonna make it…"

As soon as the words left his mouth, his nose grew, signaling he had lied. Sora and Riku just stared at the puppet, who suddenly looked 100% better. Sora smiled, while Riku just glared. Suddenly, the whole world seemed to shake as a hole in the ceiling opened up, dropping the Heartless parasite from before into the middle of the area. Donald squawked as the three began to fight. Riku, though, took that moment to disappear into a portal, taking Pinocchio with him. Sora, though, didn't notice. Him, Donald, and Goofy went at the parasite like there was no tomorrow, wondering why it seemed harder this time around. The group had a few too many close calls, causing Sora's stress levels to rise. Finally, after a wicked intense battle, the group defeated the parasite, which began to disintegrate and fizzle away into green smoke, causing the whole world to shake again. Sora frantically looked around for Riku while Donald and Goofy tried to drag him out.

"Riku!" He called. "Riku!"

Monstro stopped swimming through space and twisted his face, like he was about to sneeze. He breathed in a deep breath and finally let out a mighty sneeze, spewing out the Gummi ship. Luckily, everyone had gotten on in time. Donald and Goofy had a helluva time because Sora wanted to make sure Riku was safe, but he couldn't find him. Now Sora was stuck in the Gummi ship again, left by the window to think about things that would more than likely depress and confuse him. Man, this whole Keyblade master thing was turning out to be a huge pain in the--

---

Riku had returned to Hallow Bastion for a brief moment. He had so many things running through his head, he just had to talk to someone. Toni was the only person he could think of. He wanted to clear a few things with her anyway…it would be better for him. He quietly opened the door to her room, expecting to see her lounging on her bed or on her balcony. Instead, she was sitting in the middle of the floor, a picture in her hand. She looked so sad…Riku closed the door behind him, startling her. Once she saw it was Riku, relief flooded her face.

"Riku!" She quickly got up and rushed over to him, hugging him tight. Riku smiled and hugged her back, happy to be back in her arms. He almost forgot why he was here. "I'm so glad you're okay." Toni said with a huge smile on her face. Riku smiled back, but Toni could tell it wasn't a real smile. She stepped away from Riku, her face dropping.

"Are you…okay?" She asked. Riku shook his head.

"I need answers." He said shortly. Toni gulped and nodded. Riku wasted no time in asking questions.

"Kairi lost her heart." He said bluntly. "Did you know this would happen?"

Toni hesitated. She couldn't lie to him anymore, not if she wanted to keep him. She nodded her head slightly, a look of sheer guilt on her face. Riku's face twisted into a glare.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a loud voice. Toni winced. Stick to the truth, she told herself.

"I was selfish…" she admitted. "There's a way to save her, I know there is…I just…don't know it. I was planning on telling you after we got out of here…"

Riku just stared at her. "You wanted to save yourself first." Was all he could say. Toni quickly tried to explain herself, but Riku stopped her by holding up his hand. Toni winced, afraid he was going to hit her.

"Why did you bring me here?" he asked. Toni hesitated. He was going to find out sooner or later…

"You were supposed to be the Keyblade master…" she said in a tiny voice. Riku just stared at her. He got answers…but they hurt. They hurt so much. He still had more, but he was afraid to ask. Toni saw him thinking and nervously looked away.

"I was ordered to go to Destiny Island to keep you from getting the Keyblade and to destroy the world…" she admitted. Riku hadn't heard this story. He knew she was supposed to take Destiny Island, but the Keyblade was new to him. "I got to know you though, and felt guilty about it…about everything. I hadn't had friends in so long, let alone someone who actually loved me…"

Riku just kept staring, not sure whether or not to believe her. She sounded like she was telling the truth. Why would she lie about things like that…?

"Do you really love me, or do you love the Keyblade master…" he said quietly, his pain finally showing. He didn't even wait for her to reply. He just turned and left, not wanting her to see him like this. Toni was so taken aback by Riku's comment she had hardly any time to respond.

"Bu…R-Riku! No! I love YOU!" she shouted after him, but she doubted he heard her, because he didn't come back. Toni's eyes welled up as she was left alone once again, though not for long. Soon, Ansem walked in, grinning.

"Oh my, did someone have a fight?"

Toni quickly dried her tears and went on the defensive. "It's none of your business…" she said. Ansem chuckled and walked into her room, closing the door behind him.

"You did a fine job with your prince, Toni…" he said, still grinning. Toni just stared up at him. "The darkness is slowly consuming his heart. Pretty soon, there will be nothing left…"

"That's not true!" Toni yelled. Ansem just laughed.

"He's becoming very powerful…he shall prove very useful."

"You won't lay a freaking FINGER on him!" Toni yelled in a very menacing voice. Ansem now glared at her.

"This was inevitable. Instead," he said, his grin returning, but it held so much malice Toni recoiled. "think of it as a sacrifice…"

* * *

_**These lies are leading me astray. It's to much for me to stay. I don't wanna live this destiny. It goes on endlessly...I see you so please stay strong! I'll sing you one last song and then I'm gone. I don't wanna live this destiny. It goes on endlessly...This Love, This Hate, Is Burning Me Away...  
**_


End file.
